Asura Fighter
by Serene Fairy
Summary: The Asura Tribe is a fierce tribe from Makai, and they are planning an invasion on Ishiyama. Ayaka Mizushima is a Japanese/South Indian student who fights against them. She moved to Ishiyama to defeat them and foil their plans. What will happen when Oga and the others get involved? Some Furuichi x OC, and some slight Tatsugarde
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So, this idea just came to me. I was wondering what would happen if I combined a bit of Hindu mythology into Beelzebub, and this happened! Anyways, I decided to have this set after the Memory Loss Arc. The mantra that Ayaka chants is in Sanskrit, and Asuras are all a part of Hindu mythology. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Note: The Asura Tribe is made up by the author, and is no way a part of canon.**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

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**Chapter 1- A Demonic Aura**

"Is it true, Mom?" I ask as the plane lands at the Tokyo Narita Airport. "Is it true that in Ishiyama, you can almost feel the demonic aura?"

"That's what Zenjuro-san told me," she replies. "He also offered to help you in perfecting your sudarshana chakra technique. Now, come on. Let's get our bags."

My name is Mizushima Ayaka, my full name being Ayaka Parvati Mizushima. I'm a seventeen-year-old, 2nd-year Japanese/South Indian high school student from Madurai in India. I look like a typical Japanese girl with long straight black hair and bangs. However, I'm fluent in Japanese, Tamil, and English. I'm semi-fluent in Sanskrit and a bit hesitant in Hindi. I live with my mother, Mizushima Kalpana, a university professor and an expert in Hindu mythology.

Right now, the two of us are moving to the city of Ishiyama, because of my mom's transfer, where she'll be teaching at the University of Ishiyama. We had taken an overnight train from Madurai to Chennai two days ago, before taking a flight from Chennai to Bangkok. After an overnight layover at the airport, we flew from Bangkok to Tokyo Narita Airport, and from there, we're going to catch a train to Ishiyama.

I'm going to be transferring into the special class at St. Ishiyama Academy, with the help of Saotome Zenjuro, a friend of my late father. I had heard about the battle at Akumano Academy that happened not too long ago. However, the main reason as to why we're moving is actually because Ishiyama's in danger.

A tribe of fierce, feral demons from Makai, the Demon World, are planning an attack on Ishiyama. Asuras are very fearsome, very cruel demons, even more vicious than any other demon in Makai. How do I know this? I had to deal with quite a few of them in Madurai at many different temples. My grandfather is a priest who was being troubled by the Asuras disturbing the shrines, so I had to learn how to use the sudarshana chakra, or the discus of the god Vishnu, to get rid of these Asuras. However, during my last encounter with the Asuras, their leader had said something very ominous and troublesome.

_I'm at the Thirumogur Temple in Madurai, which is the temple where my grandfather is a priest at. It's sunset, and there aren't many people in the temple right now, which is good. In front of me is Andhaka, one of the leaders of the Asura Tribe. I had caught them trying to steal a Shiva Lingam from the temple halls._

_I place the gold discus on my right index finger as I stare at Andhaka and the other Asuras. "Om sudarshanaaya vidmahe, mahaajvaalaya dheemahi. Tanno chakrah prachodayat…" I chant. The discus starts to spin and glow as I continue to chant the Maha Sudarshana mantra, which is said to increase the powers of Vishnu's divine discus._

"_Om… Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi." Once I finish the mantra, I send the discus flying towards Andhaka and the Asuras, who had lunged at me while I was chanting. The discus flies towards them and hits them, sending them all flying backwards. I glare at them._

"_Be gone, Asuras!" I say sharply._

"_Andhakaji, it's no use!" one of them hisses. "The priest's granddaughter is too powerful!"_

"_We should conserve our energy and powers!"_

_Andhaka sneers at me. "Very well. You win today, Ayaka! But be warned. Our Lord is planning something big for your new home in the Land of the Rising Sun! You won't know what's coming!"_

_With that, they vanish. I give the Shiva Lingam back to my grandfather, who thanks me. However, my mind is still preoccupied with what Andhaka had said. Our new home is going to be Ishiyama, which where the battle against Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division had taken place. I had heard from Saotome-san about how there were several demons in Ishiyama who were preparing to destroy humanity. Could the Asura Tribe somehow be involved in this?_

"Demons…" I murmur to myself as I sit on the train to Ishiyama. I stare out of the window, admiring the sunset. "How did this all begin?" I wonder.

Soon, we arrive at the Ishiyama Train Station. As we walk out of the station, that's when I feel it. A sudden gust of wind blows around the city, and I shiver slightly. "I feel it," I whisper. "They're coming soon."

Mom nods. "Yes," she tells me. "Don't worry, though. The class you're going to be transferring into has a few people who are aware of the presence of demons in Ishiyama. You can explain what's going to happen to those people and get their help."

Upon reaching our new home, I collapse onto my bed, feeling exhausted from the flight, as well as nervous about the Asura Tribe. However, sleep quickly takes over me, and before I know it, I've fallen asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I've decided to make a change to when this story will be set. After rereading the Mobichi (Tissue) Arc, I've decided to have it set after the arc. Furthermore, this story will be a Furuichi x OC story. Enjoy Chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

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**Chapter 2- The Special Class**

It's been a few days since my move to Ishiyama, and now, I'm going to be starting school at St. Ishiyama Academy. I put on the girls' uniform, which consists of a pale green skirt, a white short-sleeved blouse, a red checkered bow, and a blue blazer. Just for safety, I put my discus into my school bag, since there's a chance that I might encounter some demons.

"I'm heading out!" I call over my shoulder.

"Have a nice day!" Mom calls back. "Good luck on your first day!"

Upon arriving at the school, I make my way to the special classroom. I'm told that the special class consists of some of the well-known delinquents of the sister school Ishiyama High School. After some asking around, I eventually find out who the delinquents are. The Tohoshinki, MK5, Good Night Shimokawa, Killer Machine Abe, the Sanada brothers, the Red Tails, and the Rampaging Ogre/Baby-on-Back Brawler.

I find an empty desk by the window and I sit down. However, I feel a strange energy emanating in the classroom, once again. _Someone in this class isn't human. But who? _I start to look around the classroom, trying to look for the source of the energy when I hear the sound of two hands hitting a desk. "All right brats! Listen up!"

I turn and see Saotome-san, or sensei, standing in front of the class, a cigarette between his lips. "We have a new student in this class who has transferred from somewhere in India. Please welcome the 2nd-year student Mizushima Ayaka."

I stand up and give a slight bow before sitting back down. However, I feel a few pairs of eyes on me, one of them coming from the force of energy. I try and ignore it for the rest of the class period until the bell rings, signaling that it's lunch time.

As I pick up my bento box, I suddenly feel a small tug on my ankle. To my surprise, I see a baby at my ankle. The baby is completely nude, and has green hair and a little yellow pacifier in his mouth. It's the same baby who was attached onto the back of one of the delinquents. I can't help but smile at him. "Hey kiddo," I coo. "Is something wrong?"

"Da bu…" he whines.

"You want to be picked up?" I ask. "Okay!"

I pick up the baby and walk through the hallways, looking for a place to eat lunch when the baby starts pointing in a certain direction. "You want me to go this way?" I ask. He nods.

"Da!"

I follow his directions and soon, I find myself on the school roof. Right then, a delinquent with messy brown hair comes up to me. "Oi, Berubo!" he says, taking the baby out of my arms. "Don't wander off on me like that!"

I stare at him in surprise. "This kid's yours?" I ask.

"It's kind of a long story," a silver-haired boy tells me. "Wait, you're the new girl, aren't you? I'm Furuichi, and this is my friend Oga. Come and sit with us!" he offers.

Sitting with them is a blonde-haired girl and a black-haired girl. "So, the new girl's sitting with us?" the black-haired girl asks.

"You can just call me Ayaka," I say. "What about you?"

"Kunieda," the girl tells me. "My name's Kunieda Aoi. This is Hilda."

The blonde girl, now known as Hilda, looks at me. "Ayaka, hm?" she asks. "Just what were you doing with the Master?"

"Master?" I ask, confused. Right then, I feel it. The force of energy is now in tenfold.

"She means Berubo," Oga says.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Furuichi asks. I turn to him.

"Do any of you feel this?" I ask. "I feel a force of energy, and I can sense that it's coming from one of you."

Furuichi stares at me in surprise. "What are you talking about? How can you sense this?"

"She's like us," Kunieda says. "She's able to sense demonic energy."

_Demon?! _Right then, I turn to Hilda. "You're a demon, aren't you?" I ask. "I knew it. There was something that seemed off about you."

"I'm a Demon Maidservant, and I serve the baby that Oga has on his back. His name is Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV, and he has been sent from Makai to destroy humanity, and Oga's his contractor," she tells me.

I stare in shock. So that's how it all started! This baby was sent to destroy humanity, so that's what must've triggered all these strange occurrences! "I knew it…" I murmur.

"Knew what?"

I hide my shock with a bright smile. "Oh, it's nothing!" I say. "Why don't we talk about something else?"

"Yeah!" Furuichi agrees. "So, you're from India? Which part?"

"A place called Madurai in Tamil Nadu," I reply. "It's got a lot of temples there, and my grandfather's a priest at one of them. I moved here with my mom."

I try to hide my growing uneasiness by having this conversation with them, but at the same time, I can't help but be worried. _Just how many people in this school know about the presence of demons and Asuras? I need answers._

After class today, I approach Saotome-sensei. "Excuse me, Saotome-sensei?" I ask. He looks up, giving me a small smirk.

"Well, well, Ayaka," he greets. "Long time no see. What's up?"

I look around to see if anyone's listening. No one else is around. "How many people here know about demons and Asuras?" I ask.

He blows a puff of smoke from his mouth, looking thoughtful. "There are a small handful of people who know only about demons. However, I can't say whether they know about Asuras," he replies. "I heard about what happened in Madurai."

I nod. "It's making me a bit uneasy. The demonic energy in this city is kind of spread out, and I'm a bit confused. How many demons are here?"

"Only a few," he tells me. "I know you're worried about the presence of Asuras, but I can assure you, there aren't many right now. One thing you need to know, is that the Asura Tribe is very intelligent. They already have this planned out, and they have no intentions of letting their plan fail. Some of them can be very dangerous and vicious, so take care. Have a safe journey home."

"Thank you," I thank. As I walk out, he calls me again.

"And by the way, Ayaka," Saotome-sensei says. "Be careful not to show your spiritual energy too much. You and Kunieda have similar powers, except she uses the Shingetsu Sword School technique taught by her grandfather. You use the Sudarshana Chakra technique, also taught by your grandfather. It's best to only use it when the situation is dire."

I nod. "Yes. Have a good night, sensei," I thank, walking out.

During the walk home, I let my mind wander to other thoughts as I hum a song to myself, shivering slightly as the autumn wind blows. With the days growing shorter, nights are slowly getting colder. I unconsciously hold onto my blazer and walk faster, hoping to hurry home. I finally reach the residential area, and the glow of the lights give me a sense of comfort as I reach my home.

"I'm home!" I call as I enter the house, the warm air quickly warming me up.

"Welcome home!" Mom calls back. "Dinner's just about ready!"

I enter the main room, glad to be out of the chilly and ominous night air as I turn on the TV, changing it to a channel that plays anime. As Mom and I eat dinner, I try and forget about the uneasy feelings as I tell her about my day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late update! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

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**Chapter 3- News Reports**

"Last night, at approximately 11:45 pm, the local late-night convenience store was robbed and vandalized, with some of the items in the store being stolen. The thieves had apparently tampered with the video cameras in the store, but one witness, Izuma Kaname; a 3rd-year high school student at St. Ishiyama Academy, managed to get a glimpse of the thieves on his way home."

This is the first thing I see when I turn on the TV to the morning news, which I regularly watch when getting ready for school. The camera then shows this Izuma person, whom I have seen a few times in the school. He has black hair and glasses, and he is wearing the St. Ishiyama boys' uniform.

"I didn't get too close of a look, but I had run after them," he says. "The thieves were very quick, and their faces were well-hidden. When I ran after them, they turned a corner and just… disappeared."

I raise an eyebrow. _That's strange… I should ask this Izuma person about the robbery. _Even then, I shouldn't just jump to conclusions. It could simply be regular human thieves as well. I shouldn't always jump every time something suspicious happens. "I'm heading out!" I call.

"Have a nice day!" Mom calls back.

When I arrive in the classroom, I hear some bits and pieces of a conversation between Oga, Furuichi, and Hilda.

"DId you hear about the attack at that convenience store last night?" Oga asks.

"Well, practically everyone has," Furuichi replies. "But about what Izuma-senpai said this morning, don't you find it strange?"

"Even if they were demons, why would they rob a convenience store?" Hilda asks. "This is rather unusual. At first, I thought they were Behemoth's men, but I highly doubt that they'd do something so petty like robbing a store."

_Exactly. _I think. Right then, a guy with silver hair done into a pompadour comes up to my desk. "Oi, Mizushima," he drawls. "How much?"

I look up at him curiously. "Huh?"

"How much to make you my follower?" he asks. I raise an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not following you, uh… what's your name?" I ask.

"Oi, oi!" Furuichi exclaims, slightly startled. "That's Himekawa Tatsuya, one of the members of the Tohoshinki, and the son of the chairman of the Himekawa zaibatsu! He's one of the strongest delinquents in Ishiyama, and the richest!"

I turn to Furuichi. "You seem to know a lot," I say. "Do you think you can show me around Ishiyama, as well as St. Ishiyama Academy?" I ask. "Also, I have to ask something to Izuma-senpai as well."

He looks a bit surprised, but smiles brightly. "Sure thing! I'm honoured to help out a beautiful, gorgeous girl like you!" he declares cheerfully.

I can't help but giggle a bit. That was kind of… cute. Right then, I see a red-haired girl glare at Furuichi in disgust. "Oi, Creepichi! Leave her alone!" she scolds harshly.

I turn to the girl. "How was that creepy?" I ask curiously. "I just asked him to show me around Ishiyama, and he said yes."

After the class period ends, Furuichi guides me down the halls, showing me around the school building. Right then, we run into a student with black hair and glasses. "Ah, Izuma-senpai!" Furuichi greets. "Mizushima-senpai wants to ask you something!"

He turns to me. "Right, you're the new student from India. Mizushima Ayaka," he states. "What is it?"

"I heard about the convenience store robbery, and how you saw the thieves," I say. "What exactly did they look like?"

He looks at me in surprise. "I thought I had made myself clear on the news," he says. "I didn't see their faces."

"Even then, I have a feeling that the thieves weren't normal humans," I tell him. "And I have a feeling that you know as well. Saotome-sensei told me that you were one of the people who know about demons, right?"

Izuma-senpai looks at me in shock, while Furuichi stares at me in surprise. "You're one of us…" he muses. "In all honesty, I was expecting Oga's wife, or even Oga himself to come and ask me this. Well, I guess I should tell the both of you."

He lowers his voice a bit. "I got a glimpse of those attackers," he begins. "They look nothing like normal demons, or even the demons of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division. I had gotten a better look when I had chased them into an alley corner."

Furuichi looks startled. "Nothing like Behemoth's Pillar Squad?" he asks.

Izuma-senpai nods. "There were three of them, all of them being very well-built. However, all of them had yellow eyes that gleamed with intelligence, light tanned skin, very vicious fangs, and long black hair. But what shocked me was that one of them had three heads."

Furuichi's jaw drops in shock. "Three heads?!" he asks. I, on the other hand, am in shock. _They're already here?! Wait… the one with three heads… could that be…?_

He nods, looking down. "I have a feeling that these demons are of a different type, or even a different species. Listen to me, if you ever come across any of these demons, do not attack them. Despite their feral appearance, they're very intelligent, and it's quite possible that they might kill you as well. Furuichi-san, go and tell about this to Oga-kun and his wife," he instructs.

"On it," he says. "Come on Mizushima-senpai, let's go."

On the walk out of school, Furuichi turns to me. "Is something wrong? You seemed a little tense when Izuma-senpai mentioned the demons. Sure, I was kind of freaked out as well, but you seemed almost alarmed."

I turn to him. "Some things are best left unanswered," I simply say, and he leaves it at that.

"You know, your Japanese is very good and fluent, but it has a slight lilt to it," he comments. "Not to be rude, but I just now noticed it."

To my surprise, instead of being offended, I just give him a small smile. "Well, when I was living in Madurai, the main language they speak there is Tamil, so I spoke a lot of Tamil. My mom speaks fluent Japanese as well, however."

He nods. "I see," he says. Right then, we see Oga and Hilda walking home. "Oi, Oga! Hilda-san! Wait up!" Furuichi calls.

Oga turns. "There you are, idiot!" he snaps, sounding a bit irritated. "I was just about to leave now!"

"Wait, why are you walking with us?" Hilda asks me.

"My home's in this direction," I say. "You know, I've been hearing people referring to you as Oga's wife or bride. Is that true?" I ask.

"Don't be silly, I'm not actually his bride," she replies curtly.

"His family believes that Oga's the actual father of Berubo, so they're convinced that Oga and Hilda are husband and wife," Furuichi explains.

Meanwhile, said baby is happily singing away on Oga's shoulders. At first, I can't understand what he's even singing until I catch onto a certain part. I turn to Oga in surprise. "He watches _Narutaru_?" I ask, shocked.

"Yeah. He likes a lot of the gruesome violence that's shown in the anime," he replies nonchalantly.

I stare at Furuichi in shock. "A baby… likes that show," I trail off. "_Narutaru_'s extremely violent! I saw a few episodes, and I nearly threw up at some of the scenes! Not even _Ring _scared me that much!"

"I know." Furuichi shudders. "The anime's tame, compared to what they show in the manga during the death of the main bully. Her death scene was so graphic and disgusting, that when the released the manga in North America, they cut out a lot of those scenes." He turns to Hilda. "Hilda-san, how can you even let a baby watch such a show?! What happened to him loving _Gohan-kun_?!"

Hilda nonchalantly shrugs. "I can't help it. It's the Master's personal taste," she replies. "Well, change of topic now. Ayaka, what was your journey like to Ishiyama?"

I sigh. "It was pretty long," I say. "To start off, my mom and I took an overnight train from Madurai to Chennai at 2:30 pm, and we reached the Chennai train station at 10:00 pm, since we had to check in for our flight and all that. We flew from Chennai to Bangkok via Thai Airways at around 12:55 am. The flight lasted 3 hours, and we had a layover for around an hour at the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. Then, around 7:30 am, we flew from Bangkok to Tokyo Narita, and that flight was 6 hours. Then, we took another overnight train from Tokyo to Ishiyama."

"Sounds pretty exhausting," Furuichi comments as we arrive at a four-way in the neighbourhood. I turn to them.

"Well, I'm heading home this way, so good night!" I say, waving at them.

When I reach home, I'm greeted by Mom, who hands me a list. "I'm so sorry for asking you about this when you've just come home, but do you think you can go out to the grocery store and buy me some groceries?"

I smile, despite my tiredness. "Okay," I say.

"I can come if you want," she says.

"No, it's fine," I say. "Well, I'm heading out… again!"


	4. Chapter 4

**So sorry for the late update! I was pretty busy, so I didn't have much time! Anyways, here it is! Enjoy Chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

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**Chapter 4- A Sudden Attack**

As I walk back home from the grocery store, I admire the nightlife in the city of Ishiyama. The buildings are well lit, and the streets are busy at this time of night. "Ishiyama's not so bad," I say silently to myself. I turn around the corner of a building, when I run into none other than Furuichi. "Oh, Furuichi!" I exclaim happily. "I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Neither did I!" he replies, equally surprised and happy. "So, what are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Oh, I was just getting groceries for my mom," I reply casually. "You?"

"A video game that I really wanted to get has just released today, so I went and waited in line for a long time to get the game."

"Wanna walk back together?" I offer.

He shrugs. "Why not? I'm also heading this way."

We walk across the overpass together, randomly talking about various topics. "So, what's it like in Madurai?" Furuichi asks.

I smile slightly. "It's a nice place. Busy, but nice. There's a lot of ancient temples in Madurai," I say. "Ishiyama's a nice place as well."

"Really?" he asks. "In all honesty, I prefer Kyoto and Sapporo over Ishiyama. Those cities have a lot more to see and do. Sure, there are several arcades, cosplay cafes, and our local theme park Ishiyama Land, but I still think that other cities are nicer."

I think for a bit about his answer. "I guess that's normal for anyone, no matter where they live," I say. "I have a cousin who lives in Bangalore, which is one of the major cities. When my mom and I went to visit her once, she said that she wished she lived in a smaller city, because there's less traffic and crowds. She also said that I'm lucky to live in such an ancient and beautiful place."

He nods. "Interesting," he says. "Why'd you defend me when Oomori-san called me creepy?"

I look at him. "I don't see how you offering to show me around was creepy," I say. "I don't see how you're a creepy person, actually."

We reach the residential area where we live. However, one thing I notice is the eerie silence in the streets. "Oi, Furuichi," I say. "Doesn't this area seem rather… quiet?"

He nods. "Yeah. Usually, I'd see a few lights on in the houses, and hear the sounds of kids playing and other things but… it's like a ghost town."

I look around curiously. There's an ominous atmosphere in the almost deserted streets that are only illuminated by the street lamps. Suddenly, a chilly wind gusts by, causing me to shiver slightly. "It's getting cold…" I whisper. Right then, I sense something behind us that puts me on high alert.

"Get down!" I yell, pushing both Furuichi and me down to the ground just as a stream of deep purple shoots above us, barely inches above our heads.

"What the… What the hell is that?!" he almost shouts.

I, on the other hand, am staring in shock as the purple stream materializes into a large Asura. He has tanned skin, long and messy black hair, eyes that are green and fiery, long fangs, and a malicious smile. He is extremely well-built with large muscles, and he stands at eight feet in height. The Asura is bare chested, wearing a black sleeveless vest, brown pants, and a large gold chain around his neck. In his hand is a golden gada, or mace.

Furuichi stares in both shock and fear as we stand up. "A D-Demon?!" he asks, his knees almost shaking.

"No… could that be…?" I whisper, causing Furuichi to turn to me.

The Asura grins. "So, you're that priest's granddaughter I've heard about," he sneers, speaking in flawless Japanese, despite their main languages being Sanskrit, Hindi, and Tamil. "I'm Sunda, leader of the Great Thirteen Asuras."

My eyes widen in shock. I can't believe it! They're already starting to send the Great Thirteen?! However, I never thought they'd send their most elite, strongest platoon! _Also, I can't believe that they sent their leader first. _Sunda is the leader of the Great Thirteen, an elite force of only the strongest, quickest, and smartest Asuras. They are all equally malicious and cruel, as well as extremely skilled fighters. Sunda is the most vengeful, smartest, and most powerful one out there.

"Who's he?! What's an Asura?" Furuichi asks desperately, turning to me.

I turn to him. "You don't know what they are?" I ask. "The Asuras are a tribe in Makai, one of the most fierce and largest ones out there. I fought them a lot back in Madurai when they were causing disturbances at the temples."

"That's right," Sunda confirms, smirking darkly. "I was sent here to give an overview of this place known as Ishiyama. It appears to be a popular place for all demons when choosing contractors, such as Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV. However, it seems that I have run into the priest's granddaughter herself." He sneers at me. "Mizushima Ayaka."

I try and keep my voice level. "And that robbery at the store this morning? That was of your doing?" I ask.

He lets out a sinister chuckle. "Those were some scouts, doing a little… inspection of this city," he replies. "Anyways, it looks like I'm going to be killing two birds with one stone. Or, one sickle." He lunges at me. "Die, wench!"

As he lunges at me, I push Furuichi out of the way before doing a quick roll away from him. I stand up, taking out my discus. However, before I can do anything, I see a quick blur in front of me and a sword clashes with the gada. To my surprise, I see Hilda in front of me, wearing a black goth-lolita dress and holding a sword.

"Hilda-san?" I ask. "What are you doing here?"

"We sensed a demonic aura, so we came to see," Oga replies. "Who is this guy? He doesn't look like a demon."

Hilda, however, stares in shock. "An Asura…" she whispers. "How can this be?"

Sunda grins. "Things are definitely getting interesting," he remarks sinisterly. "Hildegarde, the demon maidservant to the youngest prince, as well as the contractor himself. Oga Tatsumi."

Oga glares. "Who the hell are you?! Waltzing into my neighbourhood like you own it!" he snarls. Hilda turns and shoots a glare at him.

"Oi, you fool! Don't provoke him! He's an Asura, a member of the Asura Tribe from Makai!" she scolds.

Sunda's grin disappears and an ominously angry frown appears on his face. "I hate it when other people try and get involved between my fight," he snarls. "However, since I have multiple opponents, I have a real fight on my hands! Now, die!"

He lunges once again, causing Hilda to block his attack with her sword. They fight for a few moments before he shoves her aside. "Stay out of this!" he growls. "I'm here for Ayaka, and Ayaka only."

I step forward. "Very well," I say. I hold the discus on my right index finger and chant the Maha Sudarshana mantra, causing the discus to start spinning and a gentle glow around it. I then throw it at him, making a bright light shine before a large explosion sounds, creating a cloud of dust. To my shock, Sunda is still standing, not even a single scratch on him.

He grins. "Impressive," he remarks. "You're pretty powerful. However, that won't be enough to defeat me!" He lunges at me, holding his gada up. I deflect the attack with a kick before delivering a strike to his face. We go back and forth for awhile, but I find myself tiring our pretty fast. _This isn't good… _I think. _I'm losing my energy. If I can't beat him, then… _My thoughts are cut off as I'm sent flying backwards and I hit the path.

"Just give up," Sunda taunts. "You're all drained of energy. Now die, wench!"

"Oi!" To my shock, I see Furuichi jump in front of me, headbutting the Asura. "That's enough! You've beaten her, so aren't you happy now?!"

"Furuichi!" I call. "Don't do that! He's dangerous, you could get killed!"

"She's right, boy," Sunda says, sneering. "Stay out of this."

Furuichi turns back to me, and I see a few tissues up his nose. "With these, I can fight him," he tells me. Right then, the silver-haired teen delivers a punch to Sunda's face. They continue to fight more, although I can see that Furuichi is starting to tire out. Soon, he is sent flying backwards.

"Foolish boy," Sunda scolds. "You thought you could defeat an Asura, even though you lack energy and basic fighting?" He chuckles sinisterly as he raises his gada, while I can only look on helplessly. "Prepare to die!"

As he starts to bring the gada down, a sudden blast sends him flying backwards. "Zebel Blast!" I suddenly hear Oga roar as he sends a powerful punch at Sunda.

"That's enough," Hilda suddenly says sternly. "Now leave."

The Asura glares at us. "Very well." He looks at me. "This isn't over, wench. You'd best believe it." Are his final words before he disappears in a cloud of purple mist.

Hilda turns to me. "Oga," she orders. "Let's bring these two over to Furuichi's house. Lamia can heal them up over there."

* * *

**In Hindu mythology, Sunda is an Asura prince who conquered and dominated many kingdoms along with his brother. The two of them had been told that they could only be defeated by each other. Soon, one of the gods had sent a woman to try and enchant them, so both Sunda and his brother fought over her and killed each other in the process. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's Chapter 5. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 5- Time to get Stronger!**

"You idiot!" the pink-haired preteen girl yells at Furuichi. "What made you think that you could take on a demon by yourself, huh?!"

We're at Furuichi's house right now, where Lamia, a doctor from Makai, is taking care of us both. Well, she's actually really going harsh on Furuichi, yelling and scolding him for trying to fight a demon.

"Well, he was about to kill Mizushima-senpai!" he protests.

"Hold on!" I tell her. "They weren't demons! They were Asuras!"

Right then, Lamia stops yelling and stares in shock. "A-Asuras…?"

Hilda nods. "Yes," she says. "I can't believe it either."

"Will you tell me what's going on?!" Oga asks, confused.

"The Asura Tribe is one of the many tribes in Makai," Hilda begins. "However, the Asuras are the strongest tribe out of all of them. They are all skilled fighters, highly intelligent, and extremely aggressive. They leave the main kingdom alone, but they are very territorial, and will kill anyone who tries to take their territory."

I look at her, trying not to wince as Lamia applies a bandage on my arm. "Have you ever encountered them, Hilda-san?" I ask.

She nods. "It was a brief one," she says. "I happened to have passed through their territory, and they had attacked immediately. I managed to fight them off, but I was almost out of energy by then." Hilda looks down as she holds Berubo. "I never thought that they'd come into Ishiyama, however."

"Who was that particular one, though?" Furuichi asks.

"His name is Sunda," Hilda explains. "The leader of the Great Thirteen, an elite force among the Asuras. They consist of the most skilled, intelligent, and powerful fighters. Sunda is the strongest, hence why he's the leader." She then turns to me. "Ayaka, you seem to be very knowledgeable in Asuras. Where'd you get your knowledge?"

I turn to her. "When I lived in Madurai, I used to fight them because they were creating some disturbances in the temples. I have some spiritual energy within me, somewhat like Kunieda."

"Did you see anything suspicious with the Asuras?" Lamia asks me.

I nod. "In my last encounter with them, they said something about how their lord is planning something big for this city," I say. "My mom knows about the Asuras as well, because my grandfather on her side is a priest at one of the temples in Madurai, and he wanted my help in fighting them."

Hilda looks down. "This isn't good," she says. "If the Asuras are planning something, then we have to fight back. However, we're not strong enough. We need better training."

I glance down at my watch right then, and realize that it's already 10:30. "Guys, we should be going home now," I say. "It's 10:30 already. My mom's probably wondering why I'm taking so long."

"I'll walk with you," Furuichi offers.

On the walk home, I'm lost in my thoughts. It's pretty clear that I need to get stronger in order to foil the Asuras' plans. Right then, an idea comes to me. I can do some extra training with Saotome-sensei and get stronger! I heard that he helped Oga master some technique, so maybe I can ask him for help!

However, I think that Furuichi should get stronger as well. He looks like he's capable of fighting, but he doesn't know much of the basics. Right then, another idea comes to me. _If I can convince him to come with me for some training, then he'll be able to get stronger! First, we'll have to tell Mom about this. She'll listen, right?_

"You okay?" Furuichi asks.

"What? Oh, I'm fine," I tell him. "Just thinking about something."

We eventually reach my house, where Mom greets me with an expression of worry on her face. "Ayaka!" she says. "I was so worried when I came back from the university and you weren't here! Some random man with a large moustache told me that you were injured! What took so long, and what happened?"

I take a deep breath. "Okay, Mom, this is my classmate Furuichi-san, first of all," I introduce them to Mom. "Secondly, we have some things to tell you."

She nods. "Come in first."

We sit on the couch and she sits on the chair across us. Furuichi turns to me. "Are you sure about this?" he asks.

"She already knows about Asuras," I say before turning back to Mom.

"On my way home from the grocery store… an Asura attacked," I begin. "I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong, and I ended up defeated. Furuichi tried to get involved, but was defeated as well."

She nods, a serious look in her eyes. "Which Asura did you encounter?" she asks.

"Sunda, the leader of the Great Thirteen," I say.

Right then, a look of surprise and alarm crosses her face. "They're coming already?" she asks. "This isn't good."

I nod. "I need to get stronger," I say. "And so does Furuichi."

Furuichi looks like he's about to protest, but I continue talking. "Could Saotome-sensei teach me?"

Mom looks thoughtful. "You know, your grandfather knows Kalaripayattu, an ancient Indian martial art form," she tells me. "He learned it when he was a young boy, and even now he occasionally teaches it. Maybe if we ask and explain the situation, he could teach some to both you and your friend."

I stare at Mom in surprise. "Wait, but to do that, we'll have to go all the way to India for training," I realize. "You're okay with that? I was going to ask you about training with Saotome-sensei."

"Kalaripayattu is more effective against Asuras than any other martial arts," she tells me. "I think it's best that you and Furuichi-san go and train with your grandfather."

"But, what about school and…"

"I'll talk to Saotome-san," she tells me. "And Furuichi-san, you should be prepared for training as well."

As she gets up and leaves, he turns to me in surprise. "Mizushima-senpai! Why'd you include me in this? I'm not strong enough!" he asks.

"That's the reason," I say. "To help you get stronger and to become a better fighter."

He gives me a sheepish smile as he rubs the back of his head. "But, I'm known as the Strategist," he tries to convince me. "I'm better at coming up with plans. I'm not a fighter."

"That's fine. By the time the training is finished, you'll be known as the Strategic Fighter!" I declare. "Besides, those tissues aren't going to be around forever. What will you do if they get lost or destroyed? You also can't always rely on Oga-san or Hilda-san, or even Kunieda. You need to learn how to fight for yourself, and for those who you care about."

Furuichi stares at me. "A-Are you sure about this?" he asks nervously. "You seem to be quite confident in me."

I give him a reassuring smile. "Of course," I tell him. "You're capable of fighting well, but you just need to get some training, and then you'll be a good fighter. And if anything, my grandfather won't let you leave until he trains you well."

He looks like he's in thought for a moment. "Give me some time right now," he says. "I'll let you know as soon as I can."

I nod. "Okay then. Good night, and see you tomorrow," I say as he gets up.

"Yeah, good night," he tells me.

The next day, it seems like everyone's talking about the Asura attack. Apparently, two students of St. Ishiyama had spied on us fighting Sunda, and they seemed to have told everyone about how strong I was when fighting against 'someone of a different school', so I've now earned a new nickname: Discus Thrower.

"Did you hear about how famous you've become, huh Mizushima?" Kanzaki Hajime, a member of the Tohoshinki who is obsessed with Yogurty, asks me. "You're now known as the Discus Thrower."

"Ehhh, you do discus throwing?" Hanazawa Yuka, a Red Tail girl with a flower in her hair, asks me. "Crazy!"

Later on, after school, I see Furuichi come up to me. "Mizushima-senpai," he says, looking at me. "I've made up my mind. I'd like to do some training with you and your grandfather."

I smile. "Thank you. I'll inform my mom tonight then," I say.

That night, I make sure to invite Furuichi over so we can discuss our plans for training. Mom sits us down at the dining table before sitting down. "I contacted my dad, and he said that he's willing to train you both," Mom tells us. "He'll teach you both a condensed version of Kalaripayattu, since it usually takes years to master fully."

"How long will this training last for?" Furuichi asks.

"About two and a half weeks," she says. "You'll leave a few days before your school break, and you'll be gone during and after the break. He's already decided the dates on which you'll come, so all that's left is for me to book the flight, which I've already done."

"What do we do when packing?" I ask.

"You need to pack some clothes, but not too much," she tells us. "You'll be training at an abandoned temple in rural Kerala, and you'll be doing your own laundry as well. I recommend that you both take a duffel bag, and don't pack too many things."

"How will we keep in touch with our families and friends?" Furuichi asks.

"You'll have to go to an internet cafe in a nearby village to keep in touch," Mom replies. "Unfortunately, I'll be unable to accompany you both on this, since I have to teach classes."

Right then, a thought comes to me. "What will we say about our absence? We need to come up with a good excuse," I realize. I think for a moment. "How about this: my cousin is getting married, and I had to bring a friend for the wedding, so I took Furuichi with me."

"How about this: we both have a relative who's getting married in different countries, so we had to go and attend them?" Furuichi suggests.

I nod. "That'll work."

That night, as I'm getting ready for bed, I can't help but feel a sense of excitement. I'm going to get stronger, strong enough to fight the Asuras! I also feel happy that I'll be training alongside Furuichi, whom I consider as a good friend. He's actually a nice person, and he's not that creepy. In the month that I've joined this school, he's become a great person to talk to, and to hang around.

As I close my eyes, I start wondering about what else will happen when we go and train.

* * *

**Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art, and one of the oldest fighting arts. It has a lot of kicks, strikes, grappling, as well as usage of weapons. It usually takes years to master.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! This chapter was pretty tough to write, but I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 6- The Kalari**

I arrive at the Ishiyama Train Station this morning at 6:30 am, rolling my purple duffel bag and carrying my blue Hello Kitty messenger bag. Today, Furuichi and I are leaving for India. I see Furuichi, waiting by the entrance, holding a green duffel bag and a black backpack with him. "Good morning, Furuichi!" I greet.

He waves back at me. "Good morning, Mizushima-senpai," he greets. "You ready for this?"

I nod. "You bet I'm ready," I say. However, before we can enter the train station, we suddenly hear a familiar voice.

"Oi!" We turn and see Oga-san, Hilda-san, and Berubo. Oga has an annoyed look on his face. "What the hell are we supposed to do while you two are training in India?" he asks.

Furuichi thinks for a moment. "Got it!" he says. "Oga, both you and Hilda-san tell the others about the Asura attack, and try and convince them to fight alongside you guys. That's what Lamia and I did when you had gone to do some training with Kunieda's grandpa, right?"

"Right," Hilda-san says. "I remember Lamia telling me about how her and Furuichi had convinced the others to play some online game to try and find Lord En. I guess we'll have to find a way to train everyone for two and a half weeks as well."

I smile at them. "That's great," I say. "Good luck, and see you!"

"Have a safe flight, you guys," Oga says.

"Adabah!" Berubo babbles.

After getting our train tickets, we board the train that's waiting at the platform. As the train starts leaving the station, Furuichi lets out a sigh. "It's gonna be a long day today," he says. "A two-hour train ride from Ishiyama to Tokyo, followed by a four-hour flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong, a seven-hour layover at the Hong Kong airport, and then finally a five-hour flight from Hong Kong to Chennai."

I nod. "Yep," I say. "And don't forget, we're going to be spending one night in Chennai, before taking a nine-hour train ride from Chennai to Cochin, and then finally, the drive to the abandoned temple and ashram all the way in rural Kerala."

Furuichi chuckles wryly. "I'd better use wi-fi and internet while I still have it before I enter an area without any wi-fi or internet at all," he jokes.

I chuckle. "Well, there will be a nearby village with an internet cafe to keep in touch with family," I say. "Anyways, let's try and get some rest for now. It's going to be a long day."

* * *

"Hey, Mizushima-senpai," Furuichi says, getting up from the chair in the terminal. "I'm going to get us something to eat before our flight. Is that okay?"

I nod. "Sure," I say. I glance down at my watch. "We still have another two hours before we board the flight, though."

"I know, but I'm getting kind of hungry." He starts walking to one of the restaurants in the terminal.

We are now in the Hong Kong airport, waiting for our next flight to Chennai. We had flown here through Cathay Pacific, and we are going to be flying Cathay Pacific again. During the layover, we take turns using Furuichi's laptop to email our family and friends about where we are so far.

Right then, I see a Skype call on the laptop just as Furuichi comes back. "Who is it?" he asks me.

"It's Oga," I say. He answers it and we see Oga in his room.

"Hey, Oga!" Furuichi greets. "How's it going?"

"Fine," he replies. "Anyways, Hilda and I were wondering who we should gather for training."

Furuichi thinks for a moment. "The Tohoshinki, the Red Tail girls, and if possible, try and get Izuma-senpai, Nanami-senpai, and Miki from the Six Holy Knights to help out," he replies.

Oga nods. "Sure," he says.

"Hold on, what kind of training do you have planned?" I ask.

"We have a lot planned out," Hilda suddenly answers. "We're going to do a lot of physical training, such as aerobics, swimming, and fighting."

I nod. "I see," I say. "What time is it over there right now?" I ask casually.

"Huh? Oh, it's around nine," she replies.

"It's eight pm over here," I say. "Around an hour more of waiting before our next flight."

"Speaking of which," Furuichi interjects. "When we go into rural Kerala, we won't be able to keep in touch with you for a while. When I get a chance, I'll go to the nearest internet cafe in the closest village to the temple, and I'll try and contact you."

"Sure," Oga says. Suddenly, we hear the sound of someone calling him. "Sorry, gotta go. My sister's calling me for something."

The Skype conversation ends and Furuichi puts his laptop away. "Looks like it's time to board the flight."

* * *

As the plane starts to taxi down the runway, I turn to Furuichi. "How did you and Oga-san become such close friends?" I ask as I turn away from the window.

Furuichi smiles slightly. "We met in elementary school, actually," he begins. "Oga and I were in the same class in our fifth year. I wanted to walk home with him one day, but he simply brushed me off. I still followed him, even though he didn't like that. Eventually, he let me follow him, but told me not to stand behind him. At one point, during a delinquent brawl, he protected me, and after the fight, his older sister came to me and asked if I could be his friend. Since then, we've been friends."

I smile at that. "That's kind of cute," I say. "Do you have any siblings?"

He nods. "I have one younger sister named Honoka," he tells me. "From the time she was born, I've been trying to be the best older brother I can be."

"That must be nice," I comment. "I'm an only child, and I kind of wish that I have a sister or a brother to take care of." I lean back into my seat. "Well, we have a long flight ahead of us, so I'm going to get some sleep."

"Good idea," he replies. "Hold on, before I forget, I want to know something. What's your grandfather like?"

I turn to him. "His name's Mohan Sundaram, and he's a priest. He may be old, but he's very fit and healthy, as well as very strong. He can be strict sometimes, but he's very friendly. He also believes that women are equal to men, and that I shouldn't not do things just because I'm a girl. He has limits on those beliefs, however."

"How does he train his disciples?"

"He trains them hard," I say. "I remember seeing him training some people, and he was pretty strict. Almost like he was beating the basics into them. Don't underestimate him in a fight, though."

Furuichi nods. "Can he speak Japanese?"

"He can speak it fairly well, since he had taught himself some Japanese when my mom and dad had started dating. However, it's kind of broken most of the time," I tell him. "He can speak Tamil and English pretty well. I'm pretty sure that he's going to speak to you in English."

"Don't worry, I can understand English pretty well," he tells me. "Now, I think we should get some rest."

* * *

"Grandpa!" I greet in Tamil when I get off the train. Grandpa smiles warmly at me.

"Long time no see, Ayaka," he says as he hugs me. I hug him back, and I can smell the incense and other aromas from the temple. It's always been a favourite fragrance since it gives me a sense of comfort. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," I say. He turns to Furuichi.

"You're Ayaka's friend?" he asks hesitantly in Japanese.

Furuichi nods. "My name is Furuichi Takayuki," he introduces, giving a slight bow as he touches his feet, a sign of respect for elders in India. "Nice to meet you, Bapuji." At this, I can't help but smile at his effort to try and show respect for elders.

Grandpa laughs at that. "Takayuki's your first name, hm? Well, I'll just call you Takayuki for now," he says. "You're a very respectful boy. Ayaka must've taught you how to respect elders before you came here, right? Well, we'll talk about that later on the drive to the kalari. Come."

During the drive to the kalari, Grandpa and I talk a bit, with me telling him about my new life in Japan while he tells me about his life. He also asks Furuichi some questions about how much experience he's had in fighting and other kinds of questions. Soon, we arrive at the kalari building, which is far away from the main cities, and the building looks like a traditional nalukettu house. Grandpa starts showing us around the building, including the main kalari floor, the weapons room, and the small temple inside.

"Here is the sleeping hall, where my other disciples will be sleeping. Takayuki, you'll be sleeping in here," he says, showing the sleeping hall. "Ayaka, you'll have a separate room to sleep in."

After the tour around the kalari, he turns to us. "Every morning, you have to wake up at the first light of dawn, so you can have a bath and do some prayers before we get started. First, I will train you individually. When you are ready, you two will advance into partner training. We will work on those two a lot. Next, you will advance into using weapons. You'll start off with the short stick, and then advance into fighting with the long stick. Then, you two will learn how to use knives and swords, as well as the pressure points. At the end of each day, you will have to bathe again before eating dinner. After dinner, you have some free time to yourself before you will be called back here for bed. The training I'll be giving is is a condensed version, though, so by the end of two weeks, you'll have mastered it well."

Furuichi looks shocked. "How can I master all that?" he asks.

Grandpa smirks slightly. "I'll train with you individually," he says. "With one-on-one training, I'll train you, while Ayaka trains with one of my senior disciples. However, you two will also train together with sparring sessions when you start learning how to use weapons. Oh, and by the way, if you ever want to contact any family or friends, then one of my disciples will take you to the nearby village, where there is an internet cafe. Now, go get some sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us. Good night, Ayaka. Good night, Takayuki."

"Good night," we say at the same time. I turn to Furuichi. "You nervous?"

He nods. "And a bit scared as well," he tells me. "What if I come across as weak?"

"Hey, don't worry about that," I say. "We should get some sleep now. We wake up at the first sign of dawn, remember?" I yawn slightly. "Well, goodnight Furuichi."

"Goodnight, Mizushima-senpai," he says. I turn to face him.

"You know, you can just call me Ayaka from now on," I tell him.

He gives a slight smile. "Well then, goodnight Ayaka."

* * *

**A little note. Throughout the training chapters, I'm thinking of writing from both Ayaka's and Furuichi's perspectives, and I might also include moments when Oga and Hilda are training the others in third person perspective. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this!**

**Reviews and feedback are encouraged as well! ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! So, the next few chapters, as well as this one, are going to be told in the perspectives of Ayaka, Furuichi, and both Hilda and Oga. I want to show how much training each one is getting in. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 7- Let the Training Begin!**

I change into a black salwar pants and a black tank top before tying my hair back into a high ponytail and tying a red dupatta around my waist. Today is the first day of training. I had woken up at the first sign of dawn, and after bathing in the temple pond (which was empty when I had come), I did my prayers in the small temple and had breakfast. Now, I'm on my way to the kalari for training.

"Good morning, Ayaka!" Furuichi greets me. I turn to greet him, and I feel my face heat up in slight embarrassment. Furuichi is wearing the standard training outfit for men: a black dhoti which was tied in a way that it looks like knee-length shorts, with a red sash tied around the waist. He's also shirtless, and the morning sun manages to show off a lean, yet well-toned body.

"Uh… good morning," I stammer, turning away. "Well, let's go get started." I walk towards the main kalari.

We reach the kalari, where we see several of the disciples stretching and warming up. Grandpa looks up and sees us. "Good morning!" he greets. "Today, we're going to get started." Right then, one of the disciples, a dark-skinned man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, comes up.

"Ayaka, this is my senior disciple, Arjun," he introduces. "He will be training you individually, while I'll be training your friend individually. Before we begin, allow us to show you what kalaripayattu looks like. You may want to stand back, though."

Furuichi and I stand back as two disciples step up to the cleared kalari. Right then, they start off with one of them flipping the other over his back. I hear Furuichi gasp in shock and awe as they perform such complex moves. We watch as they aim strikes and kicks at each other, as well as flip each other over and throw themselves at each other. Finally, it ends with one of them on the ground while the other holds his fist over him.

"Whoa…" I say. "That's impressive!"

"It's like an art," Furuichi adds. "For some reason, I can almost see Oga or even Tojo-senpai doing this to their enemies."

"Now, you'll get a look at the use of weapons in kalaripayattu," Grandpa tells us.

We watch as two other disciples step up, each one grabbing a long stick. To our shock, they both begin spinning them very quickly around themselves before clashing them together. They use the sticks to their advantage by using it almost like an extension of their arms to try and flip each other over. They finish with the sticks and move onto using the sharp weapons.

"Wow…" Furuichi says, staring in shock. "It's like they know how to avoid seriously injuring themselves with those."

I nod. "Yeah…" I say.

By the end of the viewing, we are both so slack-jawed that if they were to fall open anymore, they would surely hit the floor. Grandpa chuckles at our shocked faces.

"It's time to start training now," he says. "Ayaka, you go with Arjun. Takayuki, you come with me."

* * *

_**(Hilda)**_

"You are probably wondering why I gathered you all here today," I say.

It's been a day since Furuichi and Ayaka had left for India, and Oga and I have already planned out how we can prepare to fight back. To start off, I managed to convince Kunieda and her friends to get everyone else, and Oga convinced the two St. Ishiyama students, Kazuya and Azusa, to get the three strongest members of the Six Holy Knights: Shizuka, Izuma, and Miki. Now, we are all at Oga's house, and everyone is here.

"What's the deal, Oga's wifey?" Tojo asks.

"Don't think that you and Oga are at the top now," Kanzaki retorts.

"Oi, oi," Miki suddenly butts in. "Where's Furuichi?"

"He's gone for a wedding in Kyoto," Nene-san replies. "Ayaka-san's gone to India for a wedding as well."

"About that," I begin. "They're not really at a wedding."

Right then, I have everyone's attention. I nod at Oga, who starts talking. "You see, a few weeks ago, Furuichi and Mizushima had gotten into a fight with someone, and they both barely made it out alive. Hilda and I had gotten involved, but even we found him too strong," he begins. "This person is not from Ishiyama. He even threatened to come back for revenge. So, both Furuichi and Mizushima have gone to India for some extra training with Mizushima's grandfather."

"So?" Himekawa asks. "What does that have to do with us?"

"And what about us?" Shizuka asks.

"He threatened both the students of Ishiyama and St. Ishiyama," I reply. "He even mocked your schools and even the groups. He called the Tohoshinki 'weak and stupid'." I see Himekawa, Kanzaki and his lackeys, and Tojo look angered, and I smirk inwardly. "He said the Red Tails are nothing more than 'mere women who should know their place in life'." Kunieda, Nene-san, Yuka, and Chiaki look furious at that. "He even said that the Six Holy Knights are 'useless and full of idiots." Shizuka, Izuma, and Miki look appalled.

_Perfect. Everything's going according to plan. _I think, feeling a bit happy. Right then, I see Tojo raise his hand.

"What?"

"Did he look unusually vicious and carried a weird mace?" he asks. "I ran into two of them on my way home from my job. They said something about 'asuras' and stuff like that, and they looked weird, like they were from a different school."

Oga widens his eyes a bit. "Really?" he asks.

I look in shock. _They're coming already?! So fast?! _However, I mask my shock with a calm tone. "Yes, they're from a different school," I say.

"Even their name is terrifying," Oga adds. "They're from…"

"Narakasura High School!" we say at the same time.

Right then, everyone looks around at each other in shock. "That's why we need your help. During the school break, and the week after, we're going to be training hard to fight against these people."

"Count us all in!" Kanzaki declares. "No one messes with us and gets away with it!"

"And us!" Nene-san chimes in. "He dares to call us 'mere women'?!"

"We'll help too!" Miki adds.

Oga and I smirk. Things are working out well after all.

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

I bend myself backwards, trying to hold the pose without shaking. This is one of the warm ups that I have to do. However, since I have never done anything this strenuous before, I find myself struggling to hold the pose, as well as my back hurting. Meanwhile, Ayaka's grandfather, or Mohan, stands over me.

"So, Takayuki," he starts. "What do you think of my granddaughter?"

"H-Huh?" I ask.

"You know, Ayaka's a very lovely girl," he tells me. "She's kind, caring, very motivated, and she'll make your favourite dish as well."

I stare in disbelief. "What does that have to do wi- Ahh!" I fall over. "Ow! That hurts!"

He steps up to me. "You shouldn't be getting so distracted, Takayuki," he chides. "Focus is key."

"Wait, what?!" I ask. "You asked me those questions just to distract me?!"

"You need to deal with distractions in your life," he tells me. "You shouldn't pay so much attention to them. Now, try again."

Grumbling to myself, I bend myself backwards and assume the same pose. This time, I try and keep my breathing steady and relaxed, rather than tensing up. I also use this time to try and think about what would happen if I master all this. I'd earn the respect of everyone, and quite possibly… even Hilda-san! I'd probably become as popular as Oga is, and even get a girlfriend!

Eventually, Mohan comes up and helps me flip myself over so I'm standing on my feet. Surprisingly, I found that warm up fairly easy, compared with trying to do the splits. "All right, your warm ups are done now. Let's get started on the actual training."

He starts telling me about how I should position myself when fighting, before teaching me how to deliver a strike and kicks. However, when I try, I end up failing pretty badly, since I can barely even get a single strike in. He may be an elderly man, but he's pretty fast and strong! Then again, the strenuous warm ups really tired me out, so I'm kind of weak from that.

"Don't quit now!" he tells me. "We're just getting started!"

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

I bend down for a moment to catch my breath, already feeling exhausted. Right now, Arjun has been teaching me how to fight back if someone were to attack me from behind. "Ayaka," Arjun tells me. "You need to be more relaxed when fighting. It isn't good if you're tensed up, your movements won't be as free and smooth, otherwise."

"I know," I say. By now, the sun is already setting, and I'm starting to droop a bit.

"We're done for the day," he tells me. "If you have any muscle injuries, then you can go get a healing massage from Praveen."

As I head back into the kalari building, I hear some cries of pain from the massage room. Taking a quick peek, I see Furuichi, lying face down on the bench as Praveen, a healer, massages his back with a medicinal oil. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Furuichi cries out. "It hurts!"

"Don't tense up!" Praveen chides. "This is supposed to help you get better and heal your muscle injuries! Relax, Takayuki!"

As if noticing my presence, Furuichi suddenly grins and tries to put on a manly appearance. Yet the moment I leave, I hear his cries of pain again. I can't help but giggle at that. It's kind of cute to see him like that. Although, how did he get so many injuries?

"Oi, Furuichi?" I ask during dinner. "How was the massage?"

He winces slightly. "It hurt a bit, but I handled it like a real man," he tries to brush it off.

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then why were you screaming so much?" I ask teasingly. He looks down in embarrassment.

"It was quite the massage, actually," he says. "I felt a lot better after. Right now, though, I'm really exhausted. Training really wore me out today."

I nod. "Yeah, it can be quite intense," I say. "Don't worry though. You'll soon master it."

"Just a question. What do the massages do?" he asks.

"The medicinal oil massages are to help increase the physical flexibility and to heal muscle injuries," I explain. "There's also another technique, called marma shastram, in which learned warriors can disable their opponent by touching the correct vital point in the human body. You need to know a lot about the human body to do this."

Furuichi nods. "I have a feeling that I'll be frequently getting these oil massages," he says. "Today wore me out pretty badly, so I'm gonna go to bed early. So, good night."

"Good night," I say.


	8. Chapter 8

**I just want to give a thanks to Frayner and the guest reviewer. Your reviews mean a lot to me! Thanks again, and enjoy chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 8- The Art of Letting Go**

After taking a walk, I arrive back at the kalari and change into my training clothes. I had woken up very early this morning, so I decided to have my bath and say my prayers at the temple early, before getting ready. On my way outside, I notice Furuichi, already dressed.

"Good morning," I greet.

"Morning," he greets, sounding a bit distracted.

"Is something wrong?" I ask. "You seem troubled by something."

He sighs. "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all," he says.

"Well, whatever's on your mind is troubling you quite a bit," I say. "Mind telling me what's wrong?"

Furuichi turns to me. "I've barely been here for a week, and I'm already having this one annoying little voice in my head, telling me to just give up and quit, that I'll never be as good as Oga, that I'll always be a pervert, no one likes me, and basically just really putting me down. Even worse, some bad memories came up."

"Like what?"

He looks down. "The times I've constantly been called creepy or pervert by the girls, the times that Hilda-san has harshly rejected me, times when I've been beaten up, all that," he replies. "In all honesty, the main reason why I accepted was because I thought that if I could master these martial arts, I could impress everyone and earn their respect."

I listen to him speak the truth, and I give him a soft smile. "If you don't let go of those thoughts, then you won't progress much. It's still early morning, so how about I help you let go of such thoughts," I offer. "Let's meditate."

We sit down on the ground and straighten our backs while crossing our legs and putting our hands on our knees. "Okay," I say. "I tend to do this during finals when I feel stressed out during studying. Keep your back straight, and your breathing even. Now, close your eyes and block out those thoughts."

I close my eyes and start doing some breathing exercises. "Okay, Furuichi," I say. "Breath in. Breath out."

I hear him do the same, and soon, we start meditating. After a while, I open my eyes, and so does he. "There," I say. "Feeling better?"

He nods, smiling slightly. "A bit."

"Good. Now let's go get started."

* * *

_**(Hilda)**_

Today is the start of our training, as well as the school break, so we're all meeting at the outdoor swimming pool in Himekawa's luxurious apartment building. The pool is a perfect one to use. It's large, rectangular, and deep enough to swim in. Why are we doing swimming? To improve our speed and reflexes. Right now, I'm wearing a white bikini with a blue bow in the middle.

"Da buh!" Young Master declares bravely, looking so bold in his blue Gohan-kun swim trunks. I smile at him.

"That's right, Young Master!" I praise. "You're looking so strong already! I'm sure you'll do well!"

"Oi, Hilda!" I hear Oga call. "We're ready!"

Sure enough, everyone comes and sits by the pool in their swimsuits. "Alright, everyone," I instruct. "Today, we're going to do fifteen laps, treading water, and diving."

"Hold on," Nene-san interrupts. "What does this have to do with getting stronger?"

"To improve speed and core strength," I reply. "You'll need that when facing against these people. So, I'll divide you all into groups for swimming laps. The first group going will be Oga, Miki, Izuma, Yuka, and Kanzaki."

The five of them stand at the edge of the pool, assuming diving stances. "Start!" I call, and they all dive into the water, all of them immediately doing front crawl. I notice that during the laps, Oga, Izuma, and Miki start switching to other swimming strokes such as back crawl and breaststroke, while Kanzaki and Yuka stay in front crawl.

By the time they all finish fifteen laps, all are extremely exhausted. "Damn…" Oga mutters. "I don't think I've ever been so tired before."

"That was pretty exhausting," Miki says, trying to catch his breath.

"But think about this," Kunieda suddenly chimes in. "Ayaka and Furuichi are all the way in India, learning some ancient martial art, right? Imagine how much more strenuous and challenging that must be."

"Speaking of Creepichi," Yuka suddenly says. "I'm kind of curious as to what he's doing right now."

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

"Hah!" I shout as I aim a kick towards Mohan, or Guruji, as I've started calling him. I suddenly find myself being flipped backwards, but I manage to land on my feet. After being punched and sent flying by Oga, Hilda-san, and practically everyone, I've kind of learned how to land on my feet when I land.

"You seem to be doing better," Guruji tells me. "Your kicks are definitely a bit stronger than yesterday, and your balance has improved quite a bit."

"Thanks," I thank.

Ever since Ayaka had helped me let go of my worries and bad thoughts this morning, I've been feeling a lot more relaxed and at ease with myself. I'm able to concentrate on training even more, which I'm slowly getting better at. As Guruji helps me with my form and stance, I start wondering what Oga and the others are up to. Perhaps I should send an email… depending on how tired I am.

"You know, Takayuki, you never did answer my question about Ayaka," he reminds me. "What do you think of her?"

I stop and stare at him. "Why are you asking me this?"

He gives a small chuckle. "Well, I think that you'd make a good grandson-in-law," he replies. "Ayaka would be a good wife to you."

"Huh?!" I exclaim, my jaw dropping. "I'm still a teenager, I have my whole life ahead of me!" And it's true! I haven't even thought about marriage! Most likely because of all the times I've been beaten by Hilda-san. Fortunately, Guruji leaves it at that and resumes our training. However, I can't help but think about his question. I don't know much about her, but she's a nice person. Apart from Angelica, she's one of the few girls who doesn't find me creepy. Maybe I should get to know her a bit.

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

I'm in the middle of a mock fight with Arjun, after he had taught me how to do flying kicks and strikes. I manage to quickly end the fight with a flying kick. "Good job, Ayaka," he praises. "You're getting a lot better. We're done for the day now."

I do a bow. "Thanks, Arjun," I thank him.

That night at dinner, Furuichi and I have conversations about a lot of things. "So," I ask. "How do you like the food here?"

"It tastes good," he replies. "Although, I'm having a bit of a hard time adjusting to only vegetarian."

I giggle. "Well, this is a kind of sacred thing, hm?" I say. "In traditional Indian cuisine, there is no beef, since the cow is considered a sacred animal. We have no problem in eating chicken, though."

Furuichi nods. "I'm starting to miss eating croquettes," he comments.

"Croquettes?"

"They're the best thing ever," he explains. "Oga and I love croquettes. It's been something we've enjoyed eating since we were kids."

I nod. "I'd like to try some one day," I say.

"Hey, Ayaka," he suddenly says. "I don't know much about you. Mind telling me a bit about yourself?"

I smile. "I was born and raised in Madurai to a Japanese father and a South Indian mother," I begin. "My mom works as a university professor, and my dad worked as a social worker. I grew up speaking Tamil mainly, but my I taught myself how to speak Japanese from watching anime and movies."

"You referred to your dad in the past tense," he notices. "Why?"

I look down sadly. "He died," I say, my voice trailing off in a whisper. "I was only five when it happened. He was coming back home from work and he was killed by a drunk driver. His death really shocked us all, since he was a really nice person. Mom was especially heartbroken. I was extremely saddened, because I knew I would never feel him hug me, give me kisses, and spend time with me anymore."

Furuichi gently touches my shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he apologizes. "It must've been hard, especially since you were pretty young when you lost him."

I nod. "Yeah. Although, we had to accept it and move on eventually. However, I'll never forget him." I turn to him. "Well, let's move on from this. Tell me, how was training today?"

"It was pretty good today," he says. "Because of you helping me let go of those thoughts and ignore that voice this morning, I was able to focus a lot better today. Thanks, Ayaka."

For some reason, when Furuichi thanks me, I find my face heating up. "N-No problem…" I stammer slightly, hiding my face.

That night, as I get ready for bed, I can't help but recall the conversation that Furuichi and I had earlier. It may not have been much, but I enjoyed exchanging culture facts with Furuichi. Already, I can trust him, since I told him about my late father. If anything, I'm starting to enjoy his company, and I look forward to more training with him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I have a little fun fact for you. If you have ever seen the anime Romeo x Juliet (if you haven't, I highly recommend it, especially the English dub), then here's a little fact. Furuichi's Japanese voice actor is the Japanese voice actor of Romeo! Both their characters are so different in terms of personality, that it's crazy that they both share the same voice actor! Romeo is serious, sincere, and willing to die for Juliet, whereas Furuichi is goofy and comedic!**

**Enough rambling. Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 9- Stick Training and the Second of the Great Thirteen**

"All right now," Grandpa tells us during our warm ups. "We're going to get started on fighting with sticks. And I forgot to mention this to you, Ayaka, but at some point, I will teach you how to master your sudarshana chakra technique when using other weapons besides your discus."

I nod. "Okay," I say. "And this evening, can Furuichi and I go down to the village to the internet cafe so we can contact our families?"

"Sure thing," he replies. "Takayuki, I will also teach you how to summon your two demons manually without those tissues."

I stare in surprise at him. "You have a contract?" I ask. He nods.

"Kind of a long story," he replies. "It all started when I had a cold, so I used some tissues from Makai, but it turns out that those tissues lent me the strength of some of the members of the 34 Pillars, specifically Hecadoth and Agiel. Unfortunately, I had kind of become too cocky when I used those tissues, since I was challenging all the top delinquents."

"Right," I say in understanding. "Okay, well, I'm going to train with Arjun now. See you around!"

Arjun hands me a bamboo pole and he takes one for himself. "Okay, Ayaka," he starts. "When fighting with a stick, you need to make sure you have the correct form and posture." He starts to demonstrate this and I pay close attention.

* * *

_**(Oga)**_

Today is the second day of our swim training. I have just finished my set of fifteen laps, and I'm currently watching Tojo, Shizuka, Himekawa, Natsume, and Chiaki do their set of laps.

"So, Oga," Miki asks me. "Who else knows about demons and all?"

We had recently told Miki about demons and about how Berubo and Hilda were demons, so all this information about Asuras is fairly new to him. I think for a moment. "Let's see… Furuichi, Kunieda, Mizushima, the four-eyed pres, Saotome-sensei, and I think Tojo and Shizuka as well."

"Speaking of Furuichi, I'm kind of starting to miss the guy," Natsume comments casually. "Feels kind of weird without our strategist telling us what to do."

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I kind of miss his creepiness as well," Nene replies. Everyone looks at her in surprise.

"Oga." I turn and see Hilda giving me a challenging smirk. "I challenge you to a small race," she challenges. I smirk slightly.

"Challenge accepted," I reply. It seems like everyone heard, because now they're all watching intently as we stand at the edge of the pool.

We dive in at the same time, and we start doing front crawl. At first, it seems like Hilda's winning, but by the end, we're both tied. "Nice job you two!" Tojo calls, holding up his phone. "I just caught the whole thing, and now I'm emailing it to Furuichi!"

"Speaking of that idiot," I begin. "He'd better email at least sometime soon.

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

"Good job," Guruji praises as I put down my bamboo pole. "You seem to be doing very well with this. Now, let me show you how to summon your demon powers without the use of those tissues."

He walks up to me. "I used to be contracted to a demon when I was in my youth. Even though my contract with him has been terminated, I still know a method that I had always used. It allowed me to summon my powers when I was in dire situations, and when I was desperate. Now, I will teach it to you, Takayuki."

I listen as he starts to talk. "You need to get into a defensive stance, first of all. Then, you need to block out all the other thoughts in your head and focus on the demon you want to summon. Nothing should distract you from those thoughts." He steps away. "Now, I want you to try it."

I assume a defensive stance and try to block out all my thoughts. However, it fails the first few times, until I use the meditation technique. I start to focus on Hecadoth and Agiel. I slowly start to feel a surge of energy course through me, and I even feel a warm sensation. Suddenly, to my surprise, it disappears and I feel normal again. "What the…?" I trail off.

"Hmm…" Guruji thinks. "It seems like there's an unusual emotional turmoil within your brain that you haven't realized," he says. "In order to summon the demons, you need to rid your mind of all emotional turmoil and conflicts that are affecting you and your health."

_You'll never be able to surpass them, Takayuki. _Suddenly, the voice comes back, much to my chagrin. _Just forget it. You'll always be Creepichi, Pedophile, Lolicon, Mobichi. No one values you. You think they do, but they're simply putting up with you._

_Shut up!_ I try and tell the voice, but it persists. Guruji can sense my troubled mindset, and he pats my shoulder.

"Takayuki," he says. "Go and do some meditation to try and block those thoughts."

I nod. However, when I try and meditate, I realize that Guruji is right. There is an emotional upset in my mind. I can almost see all the times of my humiliations being played out in front of me. Sure, I'm respected by some people, but it seems like I have no one. Even my friendship with Oga seems to be becoming more strained. We used to be outcasts, now he's pretty popular and is friends with the Tohoshinki! But I've become more and more friendless, and girls have hated me even more.

"Furuichi?" I turn and see Ayaka standing behind me.

"Hey," I greet lamely. "What's up?"

She comes and sits next to me. "I can't help but notice that you seem to be at war with yourself," she tells me, wiping some sweat away from her forehead. "You look really troubled and upset right now, and Grandpa even told me that you're going through some emotional conflict, hm?"

I nod. "Yeah," I say. "I'm just tired of being an outcast. It seems like everyone hates me. When Oga and I first came to high school, we were both the outcasts. Now, Oga's become more popular, he has become friends with all the top delinquents, and he even has some admirers, while I've just become a laughingstock."

She looks thoughtful for a moment before an idea comes to her. "There's a fortune teller in the nearby village, did you know? Perhaps she can predict what you'll be like in two weeks."

I shake my head. "Nah, I don't really like fortune telling," I say. "You can check it out if you want."

"Fair enough," she replies.

That evening, after we clean ourselves at the end of training, Ayaka and I walk down to the village, following the route that was told to us. We arrive at the village and before I know it, I find the internet cafe. I walk up to one of the computers, log into my email account, and compose a new email.

_Hey Oga,_

_This is Furuichi. How are things going over there? Yeah, we're doing fine right now. Training is pretty exhausting, but I'm getting better. Anyways, see you in two weeks._

_From,_

_Furuichi_

Deciding that was all my mind could let me compose, I hit 'send' and leave the cafe. I see Ayaka standing outside, waiting for me. "Shall we head back?" I ask.

She nods. "Yeah."

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

"So, what did the fortune teller predict?" Furuichi asks me during the walk back.

I smile, blushing slightly. "Well, she predicted that I'll be sharing my future with a diamond in the rough. That diamond may not be the best, but he will be worth a lot in the future. He will have gone through a lot, but his character will have shaped well in the future."

He nods. "Interesting," he says. I give him a small smile.

"Oi, Furuichi," I say. "I have a snack that might make you feel better." I hand him a bag of banana chips. "Have some, they're really good."

He takes a bite out of one and widens his eyes. "These are good," he compliments.

At one point during the walk, I suddenly sense an ominous aura, causing me to stop in my tracks. "Ayaka?" Furuichi asks me curiously before he tenses up, meaning that he has sensed it as well.

"Stay on your guard," I instruct. He nods.

We both take defensive stances, looking around us. A sudden wind blows, and a purple stream suddenly starts to materialize in front of us. We both stare in shock as a large, well-built Asura stands in front of us, grinning sinisterly at us.

"An… Asura?!" Furuichi asks, shocked.

"It can't be…" I whisper. They've already sent out their second member of the Great Thirteen!

"Ayaka, who is this?!" he asks me frantically. The Asura grins.

"My name is Bhasmasur, second strongest of the Great Thirteen," he sneers. "I see I've found Mizushima Ayaka, and her comrade. My lucky day."

I tense up. Ever since his defeat by a woman, he has had a deep hatred for women. "Furuichi, make sure you stay alert," I say. "This guy's pretty dangerous, and he's highly intelligent. One touch from his hands, and you'll be killed."

"Challenging me to a fight, are you?" Bhasmasur asks, a black glow coming from his hands. "Well then, prepare to die at my hands! Literally!"

The Asura lunges at us and we both move out of the way quickly. Much to our relief, we see two long sticks lying on the ground. I grab one and hold it in front of me. Bhasmasur chuckles evilly. "You think that a stick can stop me?" A sickle suddenly materializes in his hand and he lunges at me. Using my new moves, I manage to defend myself against his attacks, but he eventually overcomes me.

Right then, Furuichi jumps in front of me, holding out a stick. I watch as he assumes a defensive stance, and I suddenly sense a large amount of energy. Much to my shock, I see two demons on either side of him. I gasp in realization. "Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division!" I exclaim in surprise as I stand up. Furuichi's contracted to the Pillar Squad?!

Bhasmasur glares at them. "Hecadoth and Agiel, pillar generals of the 34 Pillar division," he scowls. "What are you doing here?"

"We sensed his need for us, so we materialized here," Hecadoth replies, glaring back. "So the rumours are true. The Asuras really are planning something."

"Stay out of this!" Bhasmasur snarls. "This is between me, the Hindu priest's granddaughter, and her comrade only!"

Agiel glares hardly at him. "But you've endangered our general just now," she replies. "We have no choice."

Right then, the four of us lunge at Bhasmasur, who attempts to fight us back. He realizes that it's useless, and he starts to disappear. "Mark my words, wench," he says, glaring at me. "This isn't the end."

Once he disappears, I see Furuichi look down at himself in shock. "I can't believe I just did it…" he trails off.

Agiel looks at me. "Who's the human girl?" she asks. "She looks kind of cute. Is she your lover?" She smirks at a mortified Furuichi, while I just feel my face heat up.

"Wha-no! She's Mizushima Ayaka, a classmate who invited me to train with her and her grandfather!" he protests.

"Yeah!" I insist. "What he said!"

Hecadoth turns to Furuichi. "You seem to be a lot stronger than before," he comments. "We could sense it." He turns to me. "I can sense a spiritual energy around you," he tells me. "You're pretty strong yourself."

"Hecadoth," Furuichi says. "I'm trying to see if I can summon you without the tissues."

"You can," Agiel says. "You just need to remove all emotional conflicts in your head and focus only on the demons. We could sense that you were trying to earlier, but the negative thoughts in your head had prevented you from doing so."

When we reach the kalari, I start tending to his wounds, which are pretty minor. "That was an impressive fight you put on just now!" I compliment. "You really have become stronger!"

"Th-Thanks," he replies, his face slightly red.

I can't help but giggle. "What's so funny?" he asks.

"Oh, you're like one of those heros from cheesy Bollywood movies, the one who's shy and sensitive, who tends to say the wrong things to the heroine, but he has good intentions," I say. "Think of it as a good thing."

Before we go to bed, we do some more meditation to help us have a peaceful sleep tonight. While Furuichi seems to be really concentrated, my mind is filled with weird, mushy thoughts. _Furuichi is a very interesting person to know… _Is what runs in my head before I fall asleep.

* * *

**In Hindu mythology, Bhasmasur was an Asura who had the power to burn whatever he touched into ashes. When this had become a problem, one of the gods took the form of an enchantress, who then said that she'd marry him if he could copy her dance moves. So, at one point, she touches her head, and Bhasmasur was so enchanted by her, that he touched his own head and turned into ashes.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**To Devlin Dracul who asked about the website. I mainly looked at Wikipedia, after typing in list of Asuras. They have a list of Asuras in alphabetical order, so I hope this helps! Enjoy Chapter 10!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 10- Bonding and Near-Drowning**

Today is the second day of stick training, and the day in which we're all going to a nearby temple in the evening. As I walk by the temple pond, I see Furuichi, doing some meditation. I can't help but feel a bit happy when seeing him like that, so tranquil and at peace. He's been turning to meditation and breathing exercises to help his self-confidence, and he seems to be doing a lot better. It's a good thing that it's still pretty early, and I've already washed myself, prayed, and changed. However, I still want to talk to him and get to know him more.

Right then, Furuichi opens his eyes and jumps a bit before realizing that it's just me. "Oh, it's just you," he exhales, letting out a sigh. "Sorry, Ayaka."

"No problem," I reply. "It's still pretty early anyways." I walk up and sit down next to him.

"What do you think the others are up to?" Furuichi asks me.

I shrug. "Probably training," I suggest. "Although I wonder if any of them have encountered an Asura yet."

"Speaking of that, we should tell your grandfather about what happened last night," he tells me.

I nod. "Good idea," I reply.

We go back to the kalari where Grandpa is training the other disciples. "Grandpa," I say. "We have something to tell you."

"What is it?" he asks.

I let out a sigh. "Last night, on our way back from the village, we encountered an Asura," I say. "We had run into Bhasmasur, the second strongest of the Great Thirteen, but Furuichi and I managed to defeat him."

Grandpa looks alarmed for a moment. "Already?" he asks. Furuichi nods.

"Yes, Guruji," he replies. "I was able to use that method you taught me."

"That's good," he says. "However, I'm still shocked that the Great Thirteen are already coming."

"Who are the members of the Great Thirteen?" I ask.

"You already ran into Sunda, their leader," Grandpa begins. "Then there is the second strongest, Bhasmasur. The third is Gajasura, the elephant demon. Fourth is Mukasura, the boar demon. Fifth is Rahu, the Asura with the head of a human and the body of a serpent. Sixth is Surpanakha, the long-nailed shapeshifting female. Seventh is Kumbhakarna, the giantlike Asura. Eighth is Holika, a female Asura who cannot be burned. Ninth is Atikaya, the archer. Tenth is Bakasura, the silent one. Eleventh is Ahiravan, the shadow Asura. Twelfth is Banasura, the one with the strength of a thousand men. The last is Dhenuka, another shapeshifter. They are all very powerful and intelligent. It looks like I'm going to have to up your training regimen."

"Really?" Furuichi asks.

He nods. "We're going to move into using weapons now," he says. "Today, we're learning how to use the knife in fighting."

* * *

_**(Hilda)**_

"This is so embarrassing…" Kanzaki mutters under his breath. "Why are we supposed to do resuscitation practices, huh?!"

"Quit complaining and just do it," I deadpan.

Right now, we're doing some lifeguard practices to improve our strength, and to help improve our teamwork skills. So far, everything goes well, although when Kanzaki tries to pretend to do mouth-to-mouth CPR, he somehow trips and ends up kissing Yuka. Now, I'm being carried by Oga to the edge of the pool when I suddenly feel something grab my leg. Before I realize, I'm pulled underwater, as well as Kunieda, who was being carried by Izuma.

As we're dragged to the bottom of the pool, we try looking around to see if we can find the culprit. Right then, we feel it. A demonic aura. Much to our shock, a fierce-looking Asura materializes underwater, grinning viciously up at us. My eyes widen in shock. This is Bakasura, the tenth member of the Great Thirteen, also known as the Silent One!

I look at Kunieda, and to my horror, she's passed out. That leaves just me to try and fight this guy. Unfortunately, trying to fight in the water is a real challenge, since I'm only in a bikini, and I can't move so smoothly in the water. I try thrashing and kicking at him, but he proves to be too powerful. I slowly find my vision going black, and I know that I'm on the verge of passing out soon. _Someone save us… _I think before I black out.

I suddenly feel someone pressing hard against my diaphragm, before I cough up some water. I suddenly feel my mouth being opened and air making its way into my lungs. This happens repeatedly until I open my eyes slowly. To my surprise, I see Oga holding me in his arms, a look of concern and worry on his face. "Hilda, are you okay?" he asks, concern laced in his voice.

"Thanks, Tatsumi…" I whisper.

"Hil-Hil, you're awake!" Yuka sighs in relief. "You really had us worried, especially Oga!"

"Da buh!" the Young Master agrees.

"Really?" I ask, and I can see a faint blush on his face.

"Y-Yeah," he replies.

"Izuma-kun, how's Kunieda doing?" Shizuka asks. We turn and see Izuma pressing his lips on Kunieda's to try and resuscitate her.

"All the water in her lungs is gone, which is good," he replies, his voice sounding worried. Right then, he presses his lips against hers again… just as she regains consciousness. Her eyes are wide with shock as a red tint crosses her face.

"I-Izuma-senpai!" she squeaks. He pulls away and gives a smile of relief.

"Good, you're back," he sighs. "You really had me worried, Kunieda."

Kunieda blushes. "Th-Thanks… I-Izuma-senpai…" she trails off.

"Okay everyone," I say. "I think that's enough for today. However, I want to meet with Miki, Izuma, Kunieda, and Oga only."

Once everyone leaves, I turn to them as Oga helps me up on my feet. "What happened down there?" Miki asks.

"I don't know," Kunieda replies. "I passed out pretty fast, and only regained consciousness when Izuma-senpai had done mouth-to-mouth."

"It was an Asura," I reply. We had told Izuma, Miki, and Kunieda about Asuras so that they were well-prepared for training.

"Yeah, when Oga-kun and I had dove back into the pool to get you guys, we saw you trying to fight him off," Izuma says.

"He was a pretty powerful one, and it took a lot of strength to hold our breaths for so long," Oga adds.

"This isn't good," I say. "We need to inform Ayaka and Furuichi about this. And it appears that we'll have to toughen up our training regimen."

"The one time we need Furuichi, he has to be out of the country!" Miki growls.

He's right. Without the perverted silver-haired teen, we don't have a clear plan.

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

"So, how was your very first experience in a temple?" Ayaka asks me as we walk back from the temple this evening with Guruji and the other disciples. I smile.

"It was very… different," I say. "I really liked some of the idols they had, especially the one with the male holding a flute with a female next to him."

She giggles. "That's Krishna and Radha," she replies. "They're lovers, who have such a deep and powerful love that they can't be broken apart. It's one of my favourite love stories to hear about."

I can't help but smile at her. "Even better than Twilight?" I tease.

She rolls her eyes playfully at me. "Well of course! Any love story is better than Twilight!" she laughs.

We stop at the internet cafe, so I can email Oga. However, when I open my email, I see a rather shocking email from Oga.

_Oi Furuichi,_

_Just so you know, we encountered one of those Asuras today. His name was something like Bakasura, and he had dragged both Hilda and Kunieda into the pool. Now, we're going to be toughening up our regimen. How are things going for you?_

_From,_

_Oga_

"No way…" I trail off.

"What is it?" Ayaka asks. I turn to her.

"They encountered one of the Great Thirteen today!" I say, and she looks shocked.

"Which one?"

"Bakasura," I reply.

"Seriously?!"

I nod. "I'm going to tell Oga about our encounter as well," I say as I start typing away.

_Hey Oga,_

_Furuichi here. We just saw your email, and we're glad that you guys are doing your best. We also encountered one of the Great Thirteen, Bhasmasur, yesterday. We managed to fight him off, but our training is also going to be toughened up. Take care when walking alone at night. _

_From,_

_Furuichi_

I hit 'send' and I get up. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

"So Furuichi," I begin. "What was it like when you first met Berubo?"

He lets out a slight chuckle. "Well, he's a really strange baby," he begins. "He electrocutes people whenever he cries, and he likes things that no normal baby likes. We had done a small experiment, you could call it. We placed a plush koala toy and a jar with a dissected frog in front of him to see which one he liked. He showed no interest in the plush koala, but showed a huge interest in the frog. Then, I took one of the human body models and asked which side he liked. He chose the one with the muscles and organs."

I stare at him in surprise. "That's unnatural," I say. "Then again, he's a demon baby."

Furuichi nods. "Yeah," he agrees.

"But why was he suddenly sent here out of the blue?" I ask.

"His father is a flake, that's why," he replies. "According to Hilda-san, the Demon Lord had decided out of the blue to destroy humanity, but he was too busy, so he sent his newborn son to do it."

A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead. "Seriously?" I ask. "That's just… no words. Just, no words."

Today's training has gone well for the both of us. We both seem to get the hang of fighting with knives, although Furuichi seems kind of hesitant in using the knife. He told me that he was too reluctant to use sharp weapons because he was afraid of seriously injuring his opponent. "You know, Furuichi, you shouldn't be afraid of hurting your opponent," I tell him. "Chances are that you might have such a situation in your hands, and you'll have no other choice but to use the weapon. You need to do what you need to do when in danger, so you'll have to work on your-ahhh!" I suddenly squeal in fear.

"What?" He asks. I point my shaking hand at the road and he follows it… to a large sewer rat. I stand, frozen on the spot in fear. He widens his eyes. "Whoa, that's a large rat!"

It suddenly hisses at us, and I squeal again, clinging onto Furuichi's shirt as I move close to him. "I hate rats!" I whimper slightly.

"Oi!" I look up and see one of the local people shooing the rat away. "Shoo! Get away!" Within no time, the rat quickly runs off. After thanking the person, we continue on our way. For the most part, we're both in silence, since I just grabbed his shirt and clung onto him tightly.

"You're afraid of rats?" Furuichi asks, breaking the silence.

I nod, shuddering slightly. "I am terrified of them," I say. "Especially those large ones. I had a terrible experience with them when I was four."

"Really?" He turns to me. "What happened?"

"When I was four, I was visiting some cousins in Trivandrum and one night, there was a power outage as I was getting into bed." I shudder again as the memory comes back up.

_I was just getting into my bed in my cousin's apartment, which was a fairly nice place. I got to have a room to myself, which I really liked. Right then, the power went out, plunging the room into darkness. I don't really mind it at first, until I hear the noises._

"_Who's there?" I ask, thinking that it's just her. After a while, the lights turn back on, and to my shock and horror, Auntie isn't in my room. Instead, there is a large sewer rat standing by the closet. My eyes widen in shock, and I let out a loud, shrill scream._

"_Ayaka!" Right then, Mom, Dad, Auntie, Uncle, my cousins, and even some of the neighbours rush in, all worried._

"_Ayaka baby, what's wrong?" Mom asks soothingly. I point to the closet, tears welling up in my eyes._

"_A b-b-big r-r-rat is in m-my r-room…" I whimper before crying in fear. _

_Chaos happens right then. Mom and Auntie trying to console me, as well as my female cousins. Meanwhile, Dad, Uncle, the male cousins, and the neighbours are all trying to kill the rat. It all ends when one of them suddenly pulls out a gun and starts shooting at the rat. By the time he finishes, the rat is beyond dead and mangled._

"After that, I never slept in that room again," I say. "Since then, I have a big phobia of rats."

Furuichi shudders before patting my shoulder. "Poor you," he says sympathetically. "You know, that story somewhat reminds me of something that happened when I was six."

I turn to him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? What happened?"

He looks down, blushing slightly. "When I was six, these group of older boys dared me to confront Kuchisake-onna, or the Slit-Mouthed Woman. She's a popular urban legend. She's basically a woman with a Glasgow smile that's covered by a surgical mask. She comes up and asks a person if she's pretty. If they say no, she kills them with scissors. If they say yes, she'll tear off the mask, ask 'how about now' and slit your mouth. To escape, a person has to say 'am I pretty?', and she'll get confused and let you leave."

I nod. "Go on."

"So, anyways, they dared me, and I accepted the dare, since I wanted to impress them. The ringleader had gotten his older sister to dress up as Kuchisake-onna. When I saw her and she asked 'am I pretty?', I said yes, since his sister was actually very pretty. She then tore the mask off and practically roared 'how about now?'." He lets out a chuckle. "I was so terrified and I started crying pretty hard. She felt sorry for me and consoled me, and she yelled at her brother. Since then, I've been somewhat wary of girls who wear surgical masks."

"Awww, poor you!" I say sympathetically. "That must've been terrifying!"

He nods. "Yep."

For the rest of the walk, we just talk about our terrifying experiences when we were kids, and it really lightens the mood up. However, as we talk, I feel my heart rate increase slightly, and I stammer quite often. By the time I go to bed, I'm just left blushing and happy to have gotten to know him even more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's Chapter 11. Once again, thanks to Frayner and Devlin Dracul for their reviews! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 11- Pressure Points and Aerobics**

"Good morning," Grandpa greets us. "Tonight there's going to be a thunderstorm, but it's nothing to worry about, since we are training indoors."

"So, what are working on today?" Furuichi asks.

"I'll help you with summoning the demons you're contracted to, Takayuki," he says. "I'll also be helping you with knife fighting, and we'll be moving on to varma kalai. And Ayaka, I'll have Rajesh, another disciple, teach you how to use your sudarshana chakra technique through varma kalai."

I nod. "Okay." Right then, a man who looks to be in his late-twenties comes up to me and tells me to come with him.

"I'm Rajesh," the man introduces. "I've been told to teach you how to master your sudarshana chakra technique through varma kalai. You must be Ayaka."

"Yeah," I say.

Rajesh takes me to a separate training room with many weapons. "Okay, Ayaka," he begins. "To start off, varma kalai is the technique of hitting the vital points in a person. Before we start, let me show you the vital points in the human body." He takes an old diagram of the human body. "The human body has approximately 108 pressure points. The points are from head to neck, from neck to navel, from navel to arm, the arms, and the legs."

He starts to point out specific points that are the pressure points. "Hitting either of these pressure points will disable the body, organ movements, and function. This is a normal effect. Using your sudarshana chakra technique along with varma kalai will paralyze your opponent completely, but it won't kill them."

I nod. "So, how can I do that?"

"You need to block all distractions from your mind, and concentrate only on chanting the sudarshana mantra. You will have to chant the mantra for a total of nine times in order to feel the energy coursing through you. Before we get to that, let's practice varma kalai now."

I nod, feeling the excitement in me. "Yes, let's do this."

* * *

_**(Hilda)**_

Today we are focusing on aerobics training, at the St. Ishiyama fitness room. Even though the school is closed for the holidays, the three Six Holy Knight members managed to let us use the fitness room for a few days. We are all dressed in exercise clothing as we set up the equipment. There are several treadmills, indoor rowers, stationary bicycles, and elliptical trainers, but we're not using any of those today.

"Alright everyone!" I say. "We'll be doing a circuit training. One group will be at each area in the room for a total of ten minutes. One group will be doing the upper-body exercises, the next group will be doing core exercises, the third will be doing lower-body exercises, and the last group will be doing the total-body exercises."

I hear a few grumbles but they're quickly silenced when I glare at them. "Let's get to it!" I instruct.

I put Kanzaki, Himekawa, Natsume, and Shiroyama in one group, Kunieda and the Red Tails in another group, while Tatsumi and I are in a group with Izuma, Miki, Shizuka, and Tojo. We're currently doing the upper-body exercises, and I find my focus being taken away when I take a look at Tatsumi. His black muscle shirt is already sticking to his body from sweat, emphasizing the muscles he has.

Ever since Tatsumi had saved me in the pool, it seems like I'm noticing a lot more about him. He's actually very handsome and sincere in protecting the Young Master, and he seems to be maturing pretty well from when he was first chosen as the Young Master's parent. Strangely, I find myself smiling at him.

"What are you smiling about, Hilda?" Tatsumi asks me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing," I reply.

"You know what?" Tojo suddenly says. "Today, we should all sit in a circle and talk about one thing we like about Furuichi."

"That's actually a good idea!" Miki replies.

After training, we all sit in a circle and talk about Furuichi, and one thing that we like about him.

"He may be a perv, but I still remember when he defended us at the public pool from some old classmates of his from middle school at the risk of being beaten up," Nene says.

"That was pretty manly," Chiaki agrees.

"What I admire about him is how clever he is," Himekawa comments. "When we were searching for that one guy from Akumano Academy, he was the one who convinced us all to play video games to search for him."

"Even though I don't know him too well, I like how he always comes up with a plan for everything," Shizuka says.

Everyone takes turns talking about the little things about Furuichi that they like, and it soon comes to me. When I am asked, I recall that one day when we were taken hostage by Himekawa.

"When Furuichi and I were taken hostage by Himekawa, he had reassured me that Tatsumi would come and get us back," I say. "He was surprisingly calm that day."

"We shouldn't be talking about him as if he's dead," Tatsumi suddenly says. "We should continue our training so when him and Mizushima come back, we'll all be ready to fight alongside them."

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

"Good job, Takayuki," Guruji praises me. "You're getting a lot better with this technique. Remember this, though. The more demons you summon, the more energy you will use up, so only summon them all when the time is right."

I nod in understanding. "Yes Guruji," I say.

"Good. Now, we're moving on to varma kalai," he tells me. He then starts to explain about the pressure points in the human body, and about how using the right amount of pressure can either disable or kill the opponent. Right then, an idea comes to me.

"Guruji, is it possible for me to summon the strength of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division through varma kalai?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment. "Yes, it is possible," he replies. "To do that, you will have to use the same technique as before. Again, you must block out any distracting thoughts from your mind, and focus only on the demons. However, before we do that, we'll have to practice varma kalai first." He pats my shoulder. "You're a smart fellow."

As we start practicing varma kalai, I suddenly feel someone's eyes on me. Taking a quick glance, I see that Ayaka has come to watch. All of a sudden, it seems like I'm doing my best to learn this, as if I'm trying to impress her. She's been so good to me, treating me like I'm not a creep, and has always shown confidence in me. I make a mental note to find a way to thank her by the end of the day.

"Grandpa!" she calls. "The clouds are moving in pretty fast, and it's gonna rain soon!"

Guruji turns to me. "Looks like our training is cut short for today," he tells me. "There's going to be a thunderstorm, so wash up as quickly as you can."

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

I sit in my quarters, watching the rain pour down heavily from the sky. Well, not really watching, since it's already night time. However, I sit near the open window, listening to the sound of rain and watching the lightning flash across the sky, while several candles provide a comforting glow in the room.

"Hey." I turn and see Furuichi in the doorway. I smile.

"Hey yourself," I say. "Wanna watch the thunderstorm with me?"

"S-Sure," he replies.

Furuichi comes and sits next to me, watching in amazement as a bolt of lightning flashes across the sky. "That's quite the storm out there, huh?" he comments.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing," I say serenely. "I love thunderstorms so much."

"How come?"

"I've just always liked them, I guess," I say. "When there's a thunderstorm, I sit in my house near a large window, with just a desk light on, a heater fan near me and a warm blanket around me, and I'll have some tea and I'll just sit and watch the thunderstorm."

He nods. "Interesting," he says. "When I was a kid, I loved to play in thunderstorms. Oga and I would run out in our rain jackets, and we'd just jump around in puddles."

I giggle. "Aw, how cute," I say.

He chuckles. "You're cute, you know?"

I stop and stare at him in surprise. _Did he just call me… cute? _"Uh… th-thanks…" I thank, stammering slightly. That's when I notice how much he's changed. His figure, which was lanky with only a slight hint of muscle in it, is now much more well-toned and defined, and his eyes have a much more mature look in them, like he knows what he has gone through.

"Ayaka, you okay?" he asks.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," I reply. "I think we should get ready for bed now, hm?"

He nods. "Yeah." Suddenly, to my surprise, I find myself being pulled into a warm hug. My eyes widen and my face heats up as the fragrant aroma of sage-scented incense smoke fills my nose. However, I find myself hugging him back.

"F-Furuichi?" I ask, still surprised from the kind and warm gesture.

"Thank you, Ayaka," he thanks me. "For everything." He pulls away, his silver hair covering his eyes, a faint blush on his cheeks. "Good night, Ayaka."

As he leaves, I feel my heart pounding harder against my chest, and an unusual warm feeling in me, which lingers on when I go to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Here's Chapter 12. I literally listened to a lot of spa-like instrumental music to try and set the mood for writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 12- Massages and Onsens**

A few days have passed since we started learning varma kalai. Furuichi and I have very nearly mastered the techniques. Today, I'm learning how to use twin blades while Furuichi is learning how to use the spear.

"When using the dual knives, you have to make sure to use one of them offensively, and the other defensively," Arjun tells me as he helps me with my stance. "The advantage of this is that you can use one as a holding weapon after contact is made, and use the other one to attack the open area of the opponent. Now, let's try this again."

Arjun lunges at me with dual knives, and I start to attack and defend myself. For the most part, I'm getting the hang of using the dual blades, and I find myself being able to think fast and moving quickly, even better than when I first started training.

"You're getting so much better at this, you know?" Arjun praises me.

I smile. "Thank you," I say, giving a bow of respect.

"Now, let's do this again," he says, getting into a stance.

* * *

_**(Oga)**_

"That's all for today," Hilda says at the end of our aerobics exercises. Almost everyone sighs in relief, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

"Man, I could really use a nice soaking in an onsen right now," I sigh.

"Da buu…" Berubo agrees. Right then, I see Hilda smirking slightly.

"As a reward for all your hard work these past few days, we're going to go to an onsen tonight to rejuvenate ourselves," Hilda suddenly says. "Besides, you'll need all your energy restored for the rest of the training."

_Wait, seriously?! _I think to myself. Everyone else seems excited for the little onsen trip. Himekawa puts his hand up. "My family owns a small onsen in Ishiyama, so we'll all go there tonight," he says.

On the walk back home to get our things ready, I turn to Hilda. "What made you decide to take a trip to the onsen?" I ask. I'm honestly curious as to why she's doing this all of a sudden.

"Because I thought it would be a good idea to have this trip, since onsens are said to have healing properties in them," she says. "Also…" she lowers her eyes. "I wanted to repay you for saving me in the pool."

"Oh." I leave it at that, although at the mention of that incident, I feel a blush on my face.

We all arrive at the onsen, which has separate baths for men and women. After changing into the deep blue yukatas that have red flower patterns, we make our way to the onsen.

"Ahh, that hits the spot," Tojo sighs as he lowers himself into the soothing warm water after removing the yukatas.

"Don't splash around too much, or you'll get lightheaded," I warn as I slowly lower Berubo in the water who lets out a content 'Dabu' once in the water. Someone comes by with some cold drinks and towels and places it near the onsen.

"This feels nice," Izuma says. "I really needed this, actually. I think I pulled a few back and leg muscles."

"I don't understand you, Himekawa," Miki suddenly comments. "How is it that you look like a completely different person when your hair isn't in that pompadour?"

Himekawa shrugs nonchalantly. "I don't know and I don't care," he replies.

"Why isn't Berubo with Hilda?" Natsume asks.

"I decided to let her have some alone time with the girls," I reply, leaning back against the edge of the onsen.

"Oi, Kanzaki, what the hell are you doing, man?!" Miki suddenly asks in shock. We all turn and see Kanzaki attempting to peek over the barrier that separates the men's bath and the women's bath.

"You miss Furuichi so much that you're trying to be like him?" I ask in a teasing voice.

"Shut up!" he snaps.

"No, he just wants to get a look at Hanazawa in an onsen," Natsume teases, making us laugh. Right then, a bar of soap falls onto Kanzaki's head, dropped by a towel-clad Nene, who is glaring at him.

"We can hear you," she scolds harshly. Kanzaki lowers himself back down into the water, looking a bit annoyed.

"So, Tojo," Himekawa starts. "I've noticed that you and Shizuka are hanging out a lot more. What's the deal?"

Tojo lowers his eyes, a red tint on his face, which I'm pretty sure is not just from the onsen steam. I grin. "You and her are dating, huh?" I ask.

He stares in shock. "Wha-no! Say that one more time and I'll kick your ass!" he threatens.

"Oh really?" Izuma suddenly asks. "I saw her give you a kiss the other day. And she's always talked about you in such a positive manner, since you're her childhood friend and she always likes to remember the days when you two were kids."

"Okay fine!" he gives in. "We've been dating for a while now. Happy?!"

"Dude, congrats!" Miki praises, and we all start patting him on the back when I hear the sound of girls talking. I moved closer to the barrier, trying to listen to their conversation.

"So, Hil-Hil," Yuka suddenly says. "Ever since Oga saved you from drowning, you've been acting kind of different towards him. Why's that?"

"What do you mean?" I hear her ask.

"Well, usually you always call him names and yell at him, but now you've started calling him by his first name and well, you've softened up towards him," Nene explains.

"Don't tell me, you've actually really fallen for him, right?" Shizuka asks.

"W-Well, you see," Hilda begins. "He's actually matured quite a bit, and he's become a lot more sensitive as well."

As I listen to Hilda talk about me, I feel kind of flattered and I find my face heating up, and it's definitely not from the onsen. Eventually, I wade over to Berubo who's happily playing with his bath toys. "I'm getting out now, I'm feeling a little lightheaded," I say. After all, I've been soaking in the onsen for a long time.

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

When training ends this evening, I find myself in so much pain for some reason. As it turns out, I have several muscle injuries in my back, my legs, and my tendons. I wince to myself as I walk inside the kalari. "Ow…" I hiss, cringing at the throbbing pain in my tendons.

"You okay?" I turn and see Ayaka, standing in the doorway. For a moment, I can't help but admire how pretty she looks… did I just call her pretty?

"No, not really," I reply. "I have quite a few muscle injuries right now. I think I injured myself during training."

"Oooh, that sucks," she says.

I nod. "Do… Do you think you could give me a massage?" I ask.

For a moment, I'm a bit scared that she'll scold me for being a pervert, but instead, she nods her head. "Sure, why not?" she replies. "Go take a bath first, then come into the healing room."

After my bath in the temple pond, I put on a pair of boxers and wrap a towel around my waist before making my way to the healing room. The room is lit by several candles and a fragrant aroma fills the room as I watch Ayaka prepare the massage oils. Again, I take time to admire her. Her long hair, currently up in a high ponytail, frames her face well, her black tank top really shows off her toned arms, and the black pants show off her toned, yet curvy legs.

"The oil's ready," she says, bringing three pots of oil over.

"Why are you bringing three pots?" I ask, lying down on the massage bench, already starting to feel a bit relaxed.

"Each oil contains a different healing property," she explains. "The first one is a coconut oil, and that will help calm you down and help you sleep easy at night. For your injuries, I'll be using warm sesame oil, which will help heal and calm your injuries."

I nod. "Okay."

"Relax now, Furuichi," she tells me.

Right then, I feel her hands start rubbing the sesame oil on my bare back, and I let out a small sigh at the calming sensation. Her hands are gentle and tender, yet firm and strong as they rub the oil all over my back. The scent of the oil fills my nose, and I find my senses being soothed. "How does this feel?" she asks.

I sigh. "Wonderful," I reply in a blissful state of mind. "What scent is this oil?"

"The base is sesame oil, but there is Himalayan fir, waterlily, and sandalwood in the oil," she replies. "This should help sooth your injuries." Suddenly, I feel her hands start tapping certain points on my back. I let out a gasp of both surprise and relief.

"Does this hurt?"

I shake my head. "No, it feels good, I was just taken by surprise," I say, resting my head on my arms as I close my eyes. "Where did you learn to be a masseuse?" I ask.

I hear her chuckle slightly as she continues tapping certain areas. "Grandpa taught me how to," she replies. "There are four different techniques used in Ayurvedic massages. Tapping awakens the body, helps increase the blood flow, and it helps make the muscles strong."

Right then, Ayaka moves to my tendons and I let out a sigh of relief. The oil seems to be doing its work, as I feel the throbbing pain slowly lessening. She then starts to knead my back and legs, and I hiss from the short bursts of pain. "Kneading relaxes and removes the stress that's accumulated in the muscles, joints, and ligaments," she explains.

After a while, she starts rubbing my back and legs. _This feels amazing! _I think to myself. I don't think I've ever been this relaxed before. And Ayaka's soothing voice just makes it even better. "Rubbing helps excite the circulation of the blood, and increases the heat in the massaged areas," she continues. She starts to hum a gentle tune to herself, calming me even further.

Finally, I feel her firm fingers squeezing my legs before moving to my toes. "Squeezing helps balance the blood pressure and relieve the arms and legs of tension," she says. "Now, I want you to roll over on your back."

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

When Furuichi turns onto his back, I feel my face heating up at how well-toned his chest is. His face looks so relaxed right now. His eyes are closed and there is a small smile on his face. At this, I feel my face heating up even more. He looks so cute and innocent when he's like this!

As I rub the coconut oil over his torso, I feel every small imperfection and scar in his formerly flawless skin, which was no doubt caused by the training. I then start tapping the certain points on his chest, trying to awaken the nervous system and help increase the blood flow. "Hey, Ayaka?" Furuichi asks, opening one eye. "What exactly are the benefits of these massages?" he asks.

I think for a moment. "Marma massages help alleviate nervousness and anxiety, muscle injuries, stress, lightheadedness, and it helps improve your blood flow and make your muscles stronger. An Ayurvedic oil massage improves vision, helps your sleep pattern, nourishes the body, and your limbs will for sure become firmer," I explain. "Also, massaging the marma points helps cleanse blocked energy, or what you would call chi."

He nods. "No wonder," he says. "I feel so much better and more at peace after these kinds of massages."

For a while, I continue to massage him in a comfortable silence. Furuichi is very good company to have around, and it's actually pretty fun to train with him. Soon, I finish massaging him. "Okay, we're all done," I say.

He slowly gets up from the bench. "Wow…" he says. "I feel so much better! I don't feel any pain at all!"

I smile at him. "Feeling better?"

"Hell yeah!" he says, smiling at me. "Thanks, Ayaka. Because of this massage, I feel so much more alive now."

"You're very welcome," I say. "Now go get some clothes on."

Furuichi looks down, suddenly remembering that he's only in a towel. "Oh… right… sorry…" He turns to leave but stops for a moment. "Ayaka, can you come here for a second?"

I walk up to him. "Yeah?" Right then, to my shock, Furuichi leans in and gives me a kiss on my cheek. I stare at him in surprise, my face turning five different shades of red as I move my hand up to the spot where he kissed me.

"Thanks again," he says before leaving. I'm left standing in the healing room, my face bright red, my mind all fuzzy, simply because he has given me a kiss on my cheek. I feel warm all over from that simple gesture.

"He… He kissed me on the cheek…" I whisper. I smile softly to myself. "And I liked it."

The warm feeling still lingers on when I go to sleep tonight. And I find myself drifting off to sleep with a smile on my face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow, exactly 3501 words. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written. I hope you all love this chapter now!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 13- Feelings and Smiles**

"Good morning, Ayaka!" Furuichi greets me enthusiastically, his eyes bright and full of energy.

"Good morning to you too," I greet, smiling at his sudden cheerfulness. "Someone's in a good mood today."

"I slept really well last night because of the massage," he tells me. "I felt so relaxed that when I lay my head down, I was out like a light!"

I chuckle, feeling my face heating up. "Well, I'm glad that I was of help," I say. "It looks like you'll be able to do well in training today."

During the walk to the training room, Furuichi tells me about a new technique that he's learning. "So, Ayaka, your grandfather has been teaching me a new move," he begins. "I call it the Chuushou Naiseikanshou Shibire Heigaku, or Pillar General Intervention: Numbness Strategy. I have to summon a pillar general from Behemoth's Pillar Division, and focus intensely on their power. It's combined with the varma kalai and with the long stick, so when I strike my opponent in their core with my two fingers, it paralyzes them. However, the stronger the pillar general, the more energy I use up. If I were to call on all of the pillar generals, I'd be completely drained of my energy, and I would kill my opponent."

"Impressive," I say. "So, it's your new special move?"

He nods. "The Pillar General Intervention: Numbness Strategy," he says. "I like that title."

"I've come up with my own special move as well," I say. "Again, it's my sudarshana chakra technique combined with both varma kalai and with weapons. I call it the Sudarshana Talaiyitu Tantiroopayam, or Intervention Tactic."

"So, looks like we both have trademark moves now," Furuichi says.

We arrive at the training room and greet Grandpa. "Grandpa, can I show my new Sudarshana Intervention Tactic?" I ask.

He nods. "Sure. And Takayuki can show his Pillar General Intervention: Numbness Strategy as well," he replies. "We'll have to go outside to show these moves, however."

We go outside and I step up to the straw dummy that is set up for this. I take out my dual knives and form a defensive stance. I then close my eyes and start chanting the sudarshana mantra in my head for a total of nine times. _Om… sudarshanaaya vidmahe… mahaajvaalaaya dheemahi… tanno chakrah prachodayaat… Om shanti shanti shantihi… _

"Sudarshana Chakra…" I say, opening my eyes as a glowing chakra appears in front of me. "...Talaiyitu Tantiroopayam!" I shout, lunging at the straw dummy and slashing a knife across it, completely destroying it.

I turn to Grandpa and Furuichi, who are staring in amazement. "Wonderful!" Grandpa praises. "You're getting a lot better at this! Now, Takayuki, why don't you show your move now."

Furuichi goes up to another straw dummy and forms a defensive stance, holding his long bamboo pole in front of him and closes his eyes. "Chuushou Naiseikanshou…" he starts, and a demonic aura surrounds him. Right then, he opens his eyes. "Graphel Shibire Heigaku!" he shouts, lunging at the dummy and obliterating it with the pole.

I stare in amazement. "Wow…" I whisper. "That's pretty powerful!"

He nods. "If I used my two fingers and touched them in the core, I would paralyze my opponent," he explains. "However, if I summon all of the Pillar Generals and the Leader himself, I would kill my opponent."

"Exactly," Grandpa tells him. "Only use that move when the time is right. Now, let's focus on today's training."

* * *

_**(Hilda)**_

"Alright everyone!" I say. "It's time for a one hour break!"

Everyone sighs in relief as they all get up. A lot has happened these past few days. We've accomplished a lot in training, and we're even stronger than before. Also, Kunieda and Izuma had gotten together, much to everyone's surprise. Kanzaki and Yuka have also gotten together, and it seems that Miki had developed a small crush on Nene.

"Man, I'm so tired!" Nene yawns. "Not even the lessons of that Sadohara-sensei can make me feel this exhausted!"

"You mean Saotome-sensei, right?" Natsume asks.

"No, I mean the one who woke up Berubo and tried to have an arm-wrestling match with Tojo," she replies.

"Oh, that guy!" Himekawa comments. "Oi, Oga's wifey. I'm going to the arcade for a bit."

I nod. "Go ahead, but be back in the fitness room soon," I say.

Himekawa, Kanzaki and his lackeys, Yuka, Nene, Chiaki, and Miki then leave for the arcade. "Hilda-san," Izuma says. "I'm going to take Kunieda out for lunch."

Once the two of them leave as well, Tojo and Shizuka also leave to go on a walk, and soon it's just Tatsumi, the Young Master, and me. Tatsumi turns to me. "So, Hilda," he says, removing his shirt and revealing his bare, well-toned chest. "How do you think we're doing so far? Are we getting any stronger?"

I nod. "Yes, we all are," I say. "Can you give me the Young Master? It's time for his lunch."

He proceeds to give him to me and I smile at him. "Okay, Young Master," I coo gently. "Time for milk."

I cradle him in my arms and give him the milk bottle, which he starts sucking on immediately. Once I set him on the bench, I suddenly feel Tatsumi's eyes watching me intently. Before I realize, I feel his lips suddenly give me a kiss on my cheek. _Wait, what?! Why'd he do that?! _I stare at him in surprise. "What was that for?" I ask.

Looking a bit caught off guard, he lowers his eyes, blushing slightly. "N-No reason…"

I raise an eyebrow, but go back to entertaining the Young Master. What's the reason for Tatsumi's strange behaviour? Why did he suddenly give me a kiss on the cheek out of the blue like that? I try to ignore the feeling, but I feel a warm feeling in me from the short kiss on my cheek. Suddenly, I feel his hands grab my sides from behind and I tense up. Whatever he's up to, I don't trust him one bit. What I don't expect, is for his fingers to suddenly start tickling my sides.

I try and hold in my laughter, trying to get his hands off me. "T-Tatsumi…" I try and warn in a dangerous tone, but my tone wavers through suppressed giggles. I can almost sense his mischievous grin as he continues to tickle me. "S-St-Stop th-this r-right n-now!" Right then, I break into a fit of laughs as he starts tickling everywhere, from my underarms to my sides, to my arms.

What's gotten into him all of a sudden? Tatsumi seems to enjoy this as well, as he's letting out small laughs at this. I try and turn myself around to stop Tatsumi, but I end up falling backwards onto the floor. I look up and see Tatsumi grinning at me, with no evil glints in his eyes. Eventually, I give up trying to stop him and let him tickle me, just enjoying this playful, almost cute side to him.

Eventually, I stop laughing, my breath coming out in heavy pants as I stand up. "What… What has gotten into you all of a sudden?" I ask. "You've never been this… playful before."

He lowers his head a bit, blushing. "I… I wanted you to… to give me that smile," he mumbles, standing up. I raise an eyebrow.

"What smile?" I ask.

"That smile… the one you always save for Berubo," he says. "You don't ever smile like that towards me, you only smile when around my family or with Berubo. I wanted to see you smile at me like that, even if it's only once, I'd be happy."

For some reason, I feel my heart flutter at that little confession. "I… I thought you hated me…" I say. To my surprise, he pulls me into an awkward hug.

"I don't hate you," he says shyly. "I… I like you… Hilda… I have feelings for you. I thought that if I showed you a small sign of affection, you'd give me that smile." He suddenly leans in closer to me so our foreheads are touching. "If I kissed you, would you smile at me?"

Before I can even respond, he suddenly presses his lips against mine in a sweet kiss. My eyes widen in shock as he softly cups my face, his lips moving gently against mine. I slowly close my eyes and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him back and entangling my fingers in his messy brown hair. As we kiss, I feel my heart pounding against my chest, my mind going blank, and the same warm feeling I felt before. It's one of the best feelings I've ever felt. I don't know how long we stand there for, and I don't even care, surprisingly.

He pulls away, and I give him a soft, tender smile as I gently stroke his face. "Tatsumi…" I whisper. Tatsumi smiles at me, and again, that same feeling comes back. This smile isn't demonic, evil, or barbaric. This is sincere, genuine, and sweet.

"You know what? My family and Berubo can have that other smile," he says. "I'll be keeping this smile."

At that, I can't help but chuckle at that. The Young Master cheers happily at the sight, excited that we're finally confessing our feelings. Tatsumi leans in and kisses me again, and this time, I kiss him back immediately. This time, the kiss is more passionate and heated, yet at the same time sweet and gentle.

"Yeesh, get a room you two!" We suddenly break apart and stare in shock at the doorway. Kanzaki is looking slightly disgusted, his lackeys, Tojo, and Himekawa are grinning, Izuma and Miki are smirking slightly, and Kunieda and the girls look surprised. Everyone is in the doorway, watching the two of us kiss!

"What the hell, Kanzaki! You're the one to talk!" Tatsumi retorts, an embarrassed blush on his face.

"Well at least don't kiss in front of a baby, dammit!" Himekawa snaps.

I can't help but chuckle at the banter between them. Who would've thought that a question over a simple smile could help bring Tatsumi and I together?

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

I wipe off the sheen of sweat on my forehead, breathing heavily. I've been perfecting my Pillar General Intervention: Numbness Strategy move for hours now, and I'm already feeling exhausted. Guruji can sense my fatigue and lets me stop.

"You look tired," he says. "Go get some water and rest up for a bit. I have to see how Ayaka is doing right now."

As I sit down with some water, I suddenly feel a demonic aura. I tense up, holding my bamboo pole in front of me. "Who's there?" I ask, trying to sound intimidating. Suddenly, to my shock, I see someone come out from behind a tree. What shocks me even more is that it's… Hilda-san! And damn, she looks even hotter than before!

"H-Hilda-san?" I ask, feeling a blush on my cheeks when I look at her figure-hugging outfit. She gives me a sultry smile.

"Oh, Furuichi-kun…" she says, my name rolling off her tongue. "Have I ever told you how cute you are?"

_This isn't the real Hilda-san! _I realize. The real Hilda-san hates me, she'd never call me cute! However, I feel my mind being toyed and swayed over, until my shock fades away and desire and lust takes over my mind. "Come closer, Furuichi-kun," she purrs, beckoning me over with her finger. "You know you want me…"

I start to move closer to her against my own will, when I suddenly hear Ayaka call out. "Furuichi! That's not the real Hilda-san!" she calls out.

Right then, it's almost like someone pours ice water on me. As quick as it happens, the spell lifts from me, and I find myself back to normal. I glare at the fake Hilda-san. "You're not the real one," I snarl. She simply smirks at me.

"What are you talking about?" she asks. "I'm obviously here in front of you."

"The real Hilda-san hates Furuichi," Ayaka says, glaring at her. "Stay away from him… Surpanakha."

Wait, what?! This is one of the Great Thirteen?! The fake Hilda-san glares at us. "Too bad my disguise failed," she says. "Oh well, it doesn't matter."

Suddenly, a purple mist surrounds her, and she starts to shift. In front of us stands a woman with tanned skin, long black hair, glaring yellow eyes, and fangs. She wears a tight-fitting black blouse and a long blood-red skirt. However, her nails are as long as animal claws.

"What are you doing here?" Ayaka snarls. She smirks.

"How rude," she says. "Especially for the granddaughter of a Hindu priest. And you." Surpanakha turns to me. I shiver at her predator-like look. "You're pretty cute actually. Too bad you're my enemy." Suddenly, she lunges at us. "Now die, both of you!"

Ayaka sends a kick at the Asura, and sends her flying back. I watch as the two of them fight rather fiercely. For some reason, Ayaka seems to be more fierce and vicious in her attacks than ever. It's almost like she's… territorial. Surpanakha seems to be trying to get in an attack, but she can barely get even one in. However, when Ayaka tries to do her Sudarshana Intervention Tactic, she's sent flying back.

"Give up, wench!" Surpanakha hisses. "You're no match for a member of the Great Thirteen!" She raises her claws. "Prepare to feel the final blow!"

Right then, before I realize, I find myself running towards her. "Chuushou Naiseikanshou…" I say, raising my two fingers. "Hecadoth, Agiel Shibire Heigaku!" I shout, jabbing Surpanakha in her pressure points. I watch in amazement as she suddenly falls down, paralyzed. She glares at me.

"You'll pay for this, boy!" she snarls. Right then, Hecadoth and Agiel materialize next to me.

"I see you've run into the shape shifting Asura," Hecadoth says, glaring at her. "Damn, we should've warned you."

"Why?" I ask.

"She turns into the one person whom her victim desires, and casts a spell on them so that they're transfixed on her. You're lucky that you managed to get out of the spell. If it wasn't for Ayaka, you would've died," he tells me.

Oh right! I need to make sure she's okay! I turn to her, only to see her frowning in a hurt way at me, a small pout on her lips. Oh crap, she probably realized that I'm a real pervert! I really did it this time! "Wait, Ayaka!" I call, but she starts walking away.

"As much as I appreciate you saving me, don't talk to me!" she snaps, storming off.

I stare after her in confusion. "What the hell did I do?!" I ask. "I was under a spell, I couldn't stop myself, even if I wanted to!"

Agiel sighs. "Another thing that was failed to be mentioned," she says. "Only the victim's future soulmate can break them out of Surpanakha's spell. Sheesh, for someone who's known as the Strategist, you're so dense when it comes to love!"

"What?!"

"Can't you see, Furuichi?" Agiel chides. "That human girl is in love with you! She loves you and she's sad because she thinks you're in love with that Demon Maidservant!"

I stare in shock. Wow, I really am an idiot! I can't believe I never even noticed that Ayaka's in love with me! I can't believe that I denied my own feelings for her! She's the one girl who has seen past the whole Creepichi, Mobichi, Lolicon gig, and has seen who I really am and what I'm like! Damn, I really did it this time! I start running after her, ignoring Hecadoth's comment of "That's why I've never liked the idea of love. Too much drama."

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

For some reason, I feel tears in my eyes. Right now, I just feel hurt that Furuichi seems to like Hilda-san more than me. Why does he like her? Sure, she's gorgeous and attractive, and a killer body that makes all men turn their heads, but she shows no interest in him! I've done a lot for him, yet it seems that my feelings are purely one-sided!

However, I can't help but feel guilty. I still like him, no matter what. His kindness, his sweet and gentlemanly behaviour, as well as his awkward comments are all cute and what I really like about him. I try and fight back the tears in my eyes as I sit down under a large banyan tree. I had just realized my feelings for him today, and I wanted to tell him, and I see him being seduced by an Asura! Well, it isn't his fault at all, since he was under a spell, but I still feel a bit hurt.

"Oi, Ayaka!" I look up and see Furuichi. I sigh and turn away. He stops next to me.

"Ayaka, I am so sorry," he starts to apologize. "Gosh, I'm such an idiot! I was so obsessed with Hilda-san that I failed to notice you, your feelings for me, and my feelings for you, and I feel so terrible right now! I know you're mad at me, and that's understandable, but-" I shush him by gently pressing my finger against his lips.

"I was never mad at you, Furuichi," I say. "I was just sad, because you seemed to like a woman who's more beautiful and attractive than I ever will be. You mean a lot to me though, because you're the first person who welcomed me to Ishiyama and made me feel at home." The tears fill my eyes again. "But I know I can't force you to feel the same way, and it just hurts. I… I don't want to feel like a burden to you."

I hear him sigh. "Ayaka, look at me." I turn to face him. He sits down next to me and pulls me into a hug. "I'm sorry for not realizing how you feel about me, I really am. Because of this, I've realized just how much you mean to me." I look up at him in surprise.

Furuichi smiles at me. "Yeah, you mean a lot," he says. "You're not a burden to me. You saw past the whole Creepichi, Mobichi, Lolicon gig, and took the time to get to know the real me. For that, I'm grateful, and I'm forever in your debt. You have done so much for me, and helped me realize that I'm worth more than people tell I am. You're kind and beautiful, and your smile just always makes my day. I always enjoy listening to you talk, Ayaka. Your voice is like music to me, and I can't ask for anything more."

I stare at him in shock. "B-But, what about…"

"I'm not in love with Hilda-san," he tells me. "Whatever I felt for her was all just lust and desire. Besides, Oga has probably claimed her already. You're my future soulmate, because only the future soulmate of Surpanakha's victim can break them out of her spell." He smiles at my shocked expression. "And guess what? I'm your diamond in the rough."

At this, I start to laugh tearfully. "Takachin…" I say, smiling at him. He looks a bit surprised at that, but he smiles at me. "Takachin… thank you." Right then, I wrap my arms around him in a warm hug and he hugs me back.

"You know, when you were fighting against Surpanakha, you seemed very fierce," Furuichi, or Takachin, comments. "Were you jealous?" he teases.

I blush a bit. "Y-Yeah… I wasn't jealous, I was territorial."

He laughs. "Don't worry, I'm not upset," he replies.

We sit under the banyan tree for a while in a warm embrace, happy that we finally got our feelings out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks again for the reviews on the last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 14- Parties, Festivals, and Asura Duels**

The days continue to pass, and Takachin and I continue to get stronger and stronger, both physically and mentally as we master new techniques and weapons. Before we even realize, our days of training are slowly coming to an end. Today marks the last day of our training, and we have already done a duel against our teachers. I fought against Arjun, while Takachin fought against Grandpa. Right now, as a reward for our hard work and perseverance, we've been given permission to go to the nearby village where a festival is happening right now.

I change into a sleeveless orange salwar kameez with fancy beadwork, and put some jasmine flowers in my braided hair. As I apply a red bindi and some kohl under my eyes, I see Takachin wearing a pair of jeans and a long green men's kurta, standing in the doorway. I smile at him. "How's the kurta fitting you?" I ask.

He smiles. "It's nice," he says. "You look beautiful, Ayaka. Did I ever tell you that?"

I blush slightly. We may have confessed our feelings, but he never fails to make me blush and act shy. "Thanks…" I say. "Let's go now."

We walk down to the village, holding hands. "So, what's this festival about?" Takachin asks me.

I shrug. "I don't know," I say. "If anything, though, it's going to have a lot of dancing, music, food, and celebration."

He sighs. "I'm starting to wish that I brought a camera along," he says. "If I had known that we'd be going to a festival, then I would've brought my camera."

I smile. "I brought mine," I say, holding up my small beaded handbag. "It's in here."

We arrive at the village and we're greeted with the sounds of joy and celebration, as well as the smell of freshly cooked food, and the sound of folk music playing. We look around in amazement.

"Wow…" Takachin says. "This looks like a lot of fun."

"Come on!" I say, taking his hand. "Let's go look around!"

We start walking through the streets, admiring the different things that's being sold in the bazaar. Small idols of different deities, clothing, bags, beauty items, classical Indian instruments, CDs, and even candles and incense sticks as well as other puja related items. "Good thing I have some money," I say.

"Me too," he agrees. Right then, an idea comes to him. "You know, I think we should get something for the others."

"I don't think we have enough money for that kind of purchase, though," I say. "We can buy some food for them."

"Good idea," Takachin says. "I'm going to look in that place." He points to a stall where idols are being sold.

"Okay, I'm going over there," I say, pointing to a sweets stall. I've decided to buy some sweets for the group.

Once I finish buying some sweets, I also remember something. Takachin's birthday is tomorrow, and I need to buy him something! I look around, trying to see if there's anything that catches my eye when I see a stall with small Hindu artifacts. After letting him know that I'm going over there, I make my way to the stall and look around. That's when I see it.

A small bronze trishul, or trident, pendant hanging from a black string. It's simple and will look pretty badass on him. I decide to get him that as one of the gifts. Once I finish paying for that, I look around a bit more, trying to find anything that Takachin might like. Right then, an idea comes to me. I'll give him some homemade massage oils.

"You done?" he asks. I nod.

"Yeah, I was just looking around," I say. "I got some sweets for everyone else. What about you?"

He chuckles slightly. "I got a small idol of the goddess Durga," he says. "I also got some food for the others as well. I bought a few bags of banana chips." He turns to me. "What kind of sweets did you get?"

"It's called jalebi," I say. "It's an orange deep-fried sweet made by deep-frying wheat flour batter into a pretzel or swirl shape, and it is then soaked in sugar syrup."

"Come on, let's look around some more," Takachin says, taking my hand.

* * *

_**(Hilda)**_

Today, we have finished our training, with great results. We have all perfected our special attacks, and finally become stronger. "Good work, everyone," I congratulate everyone at the end of training. "We did great."

Himekawa smirks slightly. "You know, I think that this calls for a celebration tonight," he says. "Everyone, come to the outdoor pool in my apartment building for the party tonight."

At the mention of this, practically everyone becomes excited and they all start talking amongst themselves excitedly. I can't help but smile at this. In a way, this training has been a good thing. Because of this, we've all become closer and we've all made new friends. I've opened up more, become friendlier with the girls, and even managed to sort out my differences with Kunieda. Now, I can't wait for the party tonight.

The night comes by pretty fast. For once, rather than wearing my usual maidservant uniform, I decide to wear a nicer dress for tonight. The dress I have chosen is a sleeveless emerald-green qipao dress that falls a few inches above my knees and is decorated with tiny purple flowers. Also, since it is a pool party, I bring my swimsuit as well. "Oi, Hilda," Tatsumi calls, wearing his black swim trunks and a T-shirt over top. "You ready?"

I nod. "Let's go."

We arrive at Himekawa's apartment building and make our way to the outdoor pool where everyone else is. I see Nene and Miki playing a game of water polo against Tojo and Shizuka, Kunieda showing off her new pink and white striped bikini to a blushing Izuma, Himekawa lounging in the pool on a dark blue float while sipping a drink, Yuka chatting enthusiastically to a rather amused Kanzaki, and Chiaki, Natsume, and Shiroyama playing video games.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Tatsumi asks, removing his shirt and throwing it to the side. I nod my head.

"Sure," I tell him, and I remove my dress.

Tatsumi dives into the pool while I simply slide in. I move over to Tatsumi and rest my back against his chest, and he wraps his arms around me. For a while, we simply watch over the Young Master who is floating happily with his little inflatable ring. Oddly enough, even though the weather is becoming slightly chilly, the pool area is warmer, but not too warm. I lean against his chest, feeling content and happy.

"Tatsumi?" I say.

"Yeah?"

I smile into his chest. "This whole training thing was a good thing," I tell him. "Because of this, I got to know everyone even better, and I got to know you even more."

I can almost sense his smile. "I agree," he says. "Not only did I become stronger, I got to see you smile at me."

After a while, Tatsumi calls everyone over to where we are. "So, I have a suggestion, everyone," he says. "I want everyone to talk about their favourite part of the training. To start off, I'd have to say that my favourite part of training was when Hilda finally smiled at me." He then turns to Tojo. "What's your favourite part?"

Tojo thinks for a moment. "I enjoyed getting stronger," he says. "I also liked how I finally managed to tell Shizuka how I feel."

"I liked how much closer to everyone I became," Miki says, smiling at Nene, who blushes in return.

We continue talking about our favourite parts of training, some people becoming oddly sentimental. Izuma lowers his head. "I… I have to say that my favourite part was confessing to Kunieda," he admits.

"Speaking of that," I begin. "How did you two get together?"

Kunieda blushes. "It happened when I was walking home one night and I was suddenly surrounded by some lecherous thugs who tried to assault me. He suddenly came and punched the ringleader into a trash bin and fought the rest of them off. He then walked me home and made sure I was safe," she replies. "Then, before he left, I just randomly blurted out my feelings."

"How cute," Chiaki comments.

"You know, I wonder how Furuichi-kun's doing right now," Natsume says. "And Mizushima-chan as well."

"Right, the two of them have probably finished training by now," Miki says.

"What I'm wondering is what happened between those two," Kanzaki adds. "I'll be real impressed if the two of them have gotten together or something like that."

* * *

_**(Furuichi)**_

"That was a lot of fun!" I say, laughing as we walk back to the kalari.

"I know, right? I got so many pictures as well!" Ayaka laughs.

At some point during the village festival, some catchy song had been playing and Ayaka had gone to dance among the people, and dragged me along as well. We had done our best to try and mimic the movements but they weren't as good as the local people's movements. However, we had fun, and that's all that matters. I've bought a small idol of Radhakrishna for Ayaka as a gift. I look at her and smile. She's absolutely beautiful, especially in Indian clothes. I'm so lucky to have a girl like her, one who's so beautiful and sweet and kind.

Suddenly, she stops. I'm about to ask what's wrong when I sense it too. The ominous aura. We assume our defensive stances, ready to fight whatever's coming at us. Right then, to our shock, a wild elephant and a wild boar step out from the shadows, glaring at us.

"What the…?" I trail off. Suddenly, a purple mist surrounds the animals, and they start to transform. To our horror, standing in the place of the animals, are two vicious Asuras. One of them holds a sword made of ivory and has the malicious eyes of an elephant, and the other has the eyes of a boar and he holds a sickle.

I turn to Ayaka, who's staring at them in horror. "Gajasura, the elephant demon…" she whispers in shock. "And Mukasura, the boar demon…"

Gajasura smirks. "Well, well, what have we here? Mizushima Ayaka, and her comrade-turned-lover," he sneers.

Mukasura glances at me and snorts disdainfully. "_This _is her lover?" he scoffs. "He looks weak. A guy like him can barely even fight a man of the same age."

I frown slightly. They shouldn't just judge a guy by his outward appearance. I'm stronger than I look.

"What are you doing here?" Ayaka asks, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Isn't it obvious, girlie?" Mukasura taunts. "We're here to kill you, since the others failed."

"I'll take the girl," Gajasura says. "You take care of her lover."

I get into a fighting stance. _He has a sickle, and I am unarmed. So, I'll just have to find a way to make him drop that sickle. _I think to myself. Right then, Mukasura lunges at me and I roll out of the way before delivering a well-timed kick to his hand, causing the sickle to fly out of his hand.

I smirk slightly. _Nice, Furuichi! _I then lunge at him, aiming a blow to his jaw, which he barely misses. The fight goes on, back and forth until eventually, I decide to end the fight. I once again get into a battle stance and close my eyes. This time, I'm using the Pillar Leader version of my new move.

"Danchou Naiseikanshou…" I start, feeling the energy rushing through me as I run towards Mukasura, raising my fingers. "Jabberwock Shibire Heigaku!" I roar, jabbing him in the core, paralyzing him.

Mukasura stares at me in shock. "What, but how…?" The shock quickly fades into anger as Jabberwock materializes next to me. "Jabberwock…" he snarls. "The leader of the 34 Pillar Division."

Jabberwock glares at him. "Mukasura," he growls. "What the hell are you doing here in the Human World? You Asuras have always hated humans, yet you've vowed to stay away from them. Why this sudden change of mind?"

I stare in shock. "Wait, what?"

* * *

_**(Ayaka)**_

Gajasura glares at us. "You two will pay for what you have done," he growls as him and Mukasura disappear right in front of us.

Takachin turns to Jabberwock right then. "Jabberwock, what do you mean they've vowed to stay away from humans?" he asks.

Jabberwock shakes his head. "The Asuras, as fierce and territorial as they are, are actually very hermit-like," he begins. "They've never liked humans, but they respect them and let them live. It's quite strange that they've suddenly decided to invade humanity, don't you think?"

I stare at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

He sighs. "This is very unusual," he says. "However, if I find anything strange, I'll let the both of you know." Right then, he disappears.

Takachin looks at me in confusion. "That's pretty strange now," he says.

I nod, an uneasy feeling growing in me. If what Jabberwock said is true, then we're up against something even bigger. However, I try and ignore it for now as we walk back to the kalari. I let out a yawn. "Tomorrow, we have a long day ahead of us," I say. "We're going back to Japan."

Takachin sighs. "I'm gonna miss this place," he says. "I kind of don't want to leave."

I chuckle. "You've grown so attached to this place, huh?"

"I'm gonna miss the peace and quiet, and the friendliness of everyone," he tells me.

I smile. "Well, look on the bright side," I say. "You'll be going back to your bed, and having hot showers, and eating croquettes."

He laughs. "I didn't say that I wasn't looking forward to that," he teases, gently tapping my nose. "Anyways, let's go to bed now."

"Good night, Takachin," I say, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

"Good night, Ayaka," he says, giving a kiss on my forehead.


	15. Chapter 15

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter full of fluff and cheesiness! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 15- A Surprise Party Full of Surprises**

"We're finally home!" Takachin exclaims as we exit the Ishiyama Train Station, carrying our duffel bags and carry-on bags.

Today has indeed been a long day. We have gone on a long journey back home, and it's only 7:50 pm! A part of me is kind of excited and relieved to be back home, but at the same time, I'm extremely jetlagged. I turn and smile at Takachin.

"Happy birthday, Takachin," I say. He smiles.

"Thanks… for the third time today," he teases. "Let's go home now."

I nod. "Yeah, I could definitely use some sleep," I agree, yawning.

Right then, I hear the sound of a phone ringing. Takachin pulls out his phone right then, which is ringing and buzzing repeatedly. He looks at the caller ID. "It's Oga," he says, answering the call. "Hello?"

He pauses for a moment and looks disbelieving at whatever Oga's saying. "Huh?! What do you mean, come over to your place right now?" he asks in disbelief. "We just got off the train, and we're tired and jetlagged and exhausted! You try moving through time zones, idiot!" He pauses again. "Can we come to tomorrow's meeting? Please man, I'm really not up to meeting anyone right now, and my body's trying to adjust to the time zone difference." Another pause and then, a look of fright crosses his face. "Okay, okay, we're coming! Just at least let us drop our bags at home and freshen up!" A look of relief crosses his face. "Thanks, bye."

"What was it?" I ask. He sighs.

"Oga wants us to come over to his place right now, even though we just went through a really long flight, that insensitive bastard," he grumbles. "Apparently, there's a meeting, and we're supposed to be there whether we like it or not, and we have to bring food."

"Why did you look scared at one point?" I ask.

"He said that if we didn't show up, we would have to face the wrath of Hilda-san. However, he's letting us go home and freshen up," he tells me. "Let's go."

"Ayaka!" I turn and see Mom, smiling happily at me as she walks up to me. I smile at her.

"Mom!" I greet, hugging her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetie," she tells me. "You both must be really tired."

Takachin nods. "We are, but we have to go to Oga's place for a meeting," he says. "And we can't skip, or we'll have to face Hilda-san's wrath…" he shudders.

Mom chuckles. "If you must, then you can go," she says. "First, freshen up."

We go back to our respective homes to get ready. When I enter the house, I take out a bronze-coloured sleeveless salwar kameez with a pretty beadwork at the neck, with a teal-coloured churidar and a teal dupatta. After a hot shower, I change into the salwar and put on a bit of makeup. I then take the jalebis and my gift for Takachin, which I have yet to give him, and leave the house.

"Hey Ayaka," Takachin greets. I smile at the outfit he's wearing: a dark green men's kurta and a pair of jeans.

"Look who's dressed in Indian clothes," I tease.

"You're the one to talk," he teases back.

"So, how did your parents greet you?" I ask.

"They were happy to see me," he tells me. "I had told them that I was going on some charity trip to help out poor kids before we had left for India, so they were asking me questions. They were actually pretty insistent that I go to Oga's place for this meeting."

I chuckle at the bag in his hands. "You're bringing the banana chips?"

He nods. "You're bringing those jalebis?"

I nod. "Yeah." I suddenly let out a tired yawn. "Oh boy, I don't think I'll be able to last the whole night. I'm already feeling drowsy."

"Me too. Hopefully the meeting isn't too long. I really want to be able to get at least some sleep," Takachin agrees. "I now know what it was like for Oga when Berubo was going through his night crying and he couldn't sleep for four nights."

We eventually arrive at Oga's house and we ring the doorbell. Right then, a pretty young woman with short black hair and kind eyes opens the door, smiling warmly at us. "Takachin, Ayaka-chan!" she greets. "Come on in!"

"Who was she?" I ask as we remove our shoes.

"That's Oga's older sister, Misaki," he tells me.

We barely even set a foot inside the main room when the lights turn on and suddenly, everyone cheers, "Happy birthday!"

"Huh?!" Takachin and I exclaim at the same time in surprise. I look around the room, and see a banner with the words 'Happy Birthday Furuichi and Ayaka' written on it. _Wait, but my birthday's not today! _I think in surprise.

"Surprised, huh, Ayaka-chan?" Misaki asks. "Your mom told us that your birthday's a few days after his, so we decided to have one party to celebrate both your birthdays."

Takachin looks around the room, stunned. "You… You guys remembered…" he says, his voice sounding shocked and happy, and I swear I can almost see a few tears in his eyes.

Oga smirks. "Idiot Furuichi. What made you think that we forgot?"

I smile at all of them. "Thanks guys," I say. Practically everyone is at this party: the Tohoshinki, the Red Tails, Lamia, and the three members of the Six Holy Knights.

Right then, Miki comes up and takes our wrists. "Come on you guys," he says, dragging us to the couch as Misaki takes the food from us.

"We have a lot of catching up to do," Tojo says, grinning.

"Hold on," Hilda-san suddenly says. "Why don't we just start the party and after opening up presents, we'll let them tell their adventures."

The party soon goes into full swing. Oga, Tojo, Kanzaki, and Himekawa drag Takachin upstairs to Oga's bedroom to play video games together, while Kunieda and the Red Tails drag me away for karaoke. However, I manage to give one rueful smile to Takachin, who returns the smile back to me. _Oh well. Let Takachin go and have fun with the guys. He deserves it. _

After getting a plate of snacks, I sit back down and watch as Yuka and Nene sing some J-Pop songs. Kunieda sits down next to me. "So, Ayaka," she says. "How was training?"

I nod. "Training was pretty good," I say. "Hard and strenuous, but it went well."

"How stronger has Furuichi become?" Hilda-san asks.

"A lot stronger," I say. "You'll all be pretty surprised when you see him fight."

She nods. Right then, Nene hands me the mic. "Your turn, Ayaka-chan," she tells me.

I choose the song 'Butterfly' by Perfume, and start singing along to the music. From where I'm standing, I see Hilda-san walk past Miki, Shizuka, and Izuma who are talking amongst themselves and leave the main room. A few moments later, just as I finish the song, I see Takachin, Kanzaki, Himekawa, and Tojo come back down, with Tojo holding Berubo.

"Where's Hilda-san and Oga?" I ask.

Kanzaki grins. "They're busy… talking," he replies, a small smirk on his face.

I shake my head at the laughter that follows his comment. _Boys… _I think, rolling my eyes. Takachin suddenly gestures me to follow him out into the hallway, and I follow immediately.

"Hey," he says as we step into the hallway. I smile.

"Hey you," I say in a gentle voice. "What's up? How was playing video games?" I ask.

He chuckles. "It was fun," he says. "We all played Dragon Quest. They told me about how their training went, and stuff like that."

"When should we tell everyone that we're together?" I ask.

"We'll figure something out," he replies. He then looks down, a blush on his face. "Ayaka… I have something for you. Close your eyes and hold your hands out."

I do so, and I feel him gently place something in my hands, giving them a gentle squeeze afterwards. "Happy early birthday Ayaka," he says. "Open your eyes."

I open my eyes, and to my joy, I see a miniature Radhakrishna idol in my hands. I smile joyfully at him. "It's perfect," I whisper. "Thank you, Takachin."

"I have more things for you, which I'll give later," he tells me. I smile.

"It's my turn," I say. "Close your eyes and open your hand out."

He does so, and I place the trishul pendant in his hand. "Happy birthday Takachin," I say. He opens it and stares in surprise at the pendant. "It's a trishul, or a trident," I explain, looking down. "I… I got it because I thought you might want something to make you look badass and have something like a trademark thing."

Takachin chuckles. "I love it," he tells me. "And I'm pretty sure that I'll look badass with this on." He puts it around his neck. "Well, how badass do I look?"

I giggle. "Pretty badass," I say. "But, I have something else for you later on."

He smiles at me before pulling me into a warm hug, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "Thanks Ayaka," he thanks me as I place my hands on his shoulders. "For everything."

I smile into his shoulder, inhaling the surprisingly intoxicating scent of his fresh and clean men's soap. "You don't need to thank me," I reassure him. "I really like a lot about you, Takachin. You're kind and sweet, and you make me feel happy. I enjoy being in your company, because just being around you cheers me up." I look into his eyes. "I'm happy you broke down your walls and let me in. I'm grateful to have met you, to know you… to love you."

He pulls away and stares into my eyes, surprise in his eyes. "You… You love me?" he asks.

I nod, smiling at him. "I love you, Takachin."

I can see some tears in his eyes as he smiles down at me. "Ayaka…" he whispers, trying not to cry. I feel like crying, since it's quite clear that no other girl has told him how much he means to them, and I'm the first girl to fall in love with him. Takachin then hugs me again. "Ayaka… I'm happy," he whispers. "Because of you, I'm able to feel the joy of falling in love and being in love. Because of you, I know what it's like to love someone. I'm happy and grateful to have met you." He smiles at me as he brushes away some of my hair. "I… I love you, Ayaka."

We look into each other's eyes, losing ourselves in them. Right then, Takachin slowly starts leaning closer to me, gently caressing my face with his slightly rough hands. I close my eyes as he gently presses his lips against mine in a sweet yet hesitant kiss, his hands gently holding my face.

The kiss lasts for only a few moments before he pulls away. However, it's enough to make my knees weak, my heart pound against my chest, and send a warm, fuzzy feeling through me. Everything seems perfect right now. I've just been kissed for the first time, and now I'm being held by the guy I've been in love with.

"Whoa, that was pretty sentimental! Who knew that Furuichi had it in him?" Kanzaki's voice brings us back to reality. And at that moment, the perfection in the moment goes away when we turn to the doorway.

Not only is Kanzaki watching, but so is everyone else! Even Oga and Hilda-san are watching from Oga's bedroom! At that moment, I feel a blush staining my face and I turn away. Takachin looks away, blushing in embarrassment. "Just… Just how much of that did you see?" I ask, my voice stammering.

Oga grins. "Oh, we saw the confession, Mizushima," he teases. "And we heard the whole confession as well."

"Out with it," Hilda-san says. "How long?"

I blush even more. "During our training… But this is our first kiss…"

"Well, it's about time!" Tojo cheers. "Congrats, you two!"

"They're actually kind of cute together," Yuka comments.

All the guys come and pat Takachin on the back or give him friendly punches in the shoulder, congratulating him, while all the girls come and give me hugs, congratulating me. Soon, it's time for cake and presents.

We all go to the main room, where a chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream icing sits on the dining table. On the icing are the words 'Happy Birthday' in chocolate icing. For presents, we got some pretty nice things. Both Takachin and I receive some cash from Himekawa, some coupons for the new restaurant where Tojo works at, and a pack of fruity-flavour Yogurty from Kanzaki. Takachin also receives the latest Call of Duty game from both Oga and Hilda-san, while I receive a small collection of Hello Kitty plush toys from them. From Kunieda and the Red Tails, Takachin receives the first few volumes of Attack on Titan while I receive a Pikachu handbag from them. From the three Six Holy Knight members, Takachin receives the latest album by his favourite singer Yui, while I receive the latest album by my favourite band Delhi 2 Dublin.

Finally, it's time for the two of us to exchange gifts. Takachin opens his up and I smile at the look on his face. I had gotten him the first few volumes of the manga Kekkaishi as well as the first few DVDs of the anime. He looks at me and I grin at him. "It's a good anime, and you can trust me on this one," I tell him.

He then gives me my gift. I open it up to reveal the most beautiful set of gold jewelry: a gold necklace with red precious stones, a gold nethichutti, a gold ring with a chain that connected it to a matching bracelet, gold bangles, and two gold anklets. I look up at Takachin who smiles at me.

"Your grandfather helped me get this," he tells me. "I told him I wanted to get you something and he took me into one of the cities to a jewelry shop to buy this. It was pretty expensive, but worth it."

I blush. "Takachin, you didn't have to… but thanks so much," I thank him.

"Okay, can we catch up on what you two have done while you were gone?" Miki asks.

So, the two of us then proceed to explain about how our training went, and I give a brief background on kalaripayattu before explaining about the different techniques we've learned. We also talk about some of the other things we have done, and we also talk about what the experience was like.

"Overall, I really liked the experience," Takachin concludes.

"Wait, you had to eat vegetarian food for two and a half weeks?" Kanzaki asks, surprised.

"So how much stronger are the both of you now?" Oga asks.

"A lot stronger than before, especially Takachin," I say.

"Then, can you show us?" Nene asks.

"Not now!" Takachin pleads. "Come on, you haven't told us about your training yet!"

So now, we listen to Oga and everyone else talk about their training, and the experiences they've had, and they surprise us by telling us who has gotten together. "Huh?! Kunieda-senpai and Izuma-senpai got together?!" Takachin asks.

"Ehhhh?! Nene-san and Miki-san got together as well?!" I ask.

"Enough with that," Himekawa says. "Why don't you show us how much stronger you two are."

I shake my head. "Maybe tomorrow," I say, my voice sounding tired. "I need to sleep right now, I'm so tired."

"Me too," Takachin agrees. "My body still needs to adjust to the time zone change, and I'm pretty jetlagged."

Misaki smiles at us. "Okay then. Ayaka-chan, you can sleep in my room. Takachin, you can sleep in Tatsumi's room. The rest of you can go back to the party."

I smile at the kind gesture before making my way upstairs to Misaki's bedroom. However, I find myself unable to even get a few minutes of sleep. Sighing, I get up and go over to Oga's bedroom, where Takachin is currently lying down on the bed.

"Hey," I greet.

He looks up. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

I sit down on the bed next to him. "May I lie down next to you?" I ask.

He looks surprised for a moment, but nods his head. "Sure."

I smile and lie down, snuggling closer to him. I feel him running his finger through my hair. "Your hair's so soft," he tells me, breaking the silence. "It's like silk, almost. How'd you make it so soft?"

"Whenever I wash my hair, I put coconut oil in my hair, because it makes it soft and smooth and shiny," I tell him. I look up at him. "What did you think of today?" I ask.

Takachin pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me. "Today was a good day," he says. "I felt appreciated and valued today. When I was playing video games with the guys, they told me that without me, they didn't have much of a clear plan."

I smile into his shoulder. "See, they do have some respect and appreciation for you," I say.

"It felt good to finally be one of them," he says. "And their reactions when they saw us confessing to each other was something that felt good. Rather than teasing me, they congratulated me." He looks at me. "Why'd you come and lie down with me?"

I shrug. "I wanted to be in your company," I say. "Also, I was feeling cold."

He smiles at me. "Come here then," he says, pulling me closer so that we're lying on our sides, his arms around me and his face snuggled into my shoulder. "Better?"

"Better."

He gives me a kiss on my nose before burying his face into my shoulder. "Now sleep," he tells me teasingly.

I close my eyes and allow sleep to take over me, feeling warm and safe in his arms. We sleep next to each other like that for a while until our families come to pick us up. And when they catch us sleeping in the same bed in each other's arms, they're shocked and amused at the same time


	16. Chapter 16

**I felt like adding chapter 16 as well. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 16- Fighting Display**

"You made us wait all day, so you'd better give a good fight," Oga tells us.

Today, we went back to school, and we managed to get through the day pretty well. Although, Takachin had fallen asleep on his desk when reading out a paragraph of a book we were studying, and I very nearly fell asleep when answering a math problem on the board. Now, however, we're upholding our promise of showing our fighting skills after school.

Not only are Oga and Hilda-san watching, but the Tohoshinki, the Red Tails, the Six Holy Knights, two St. Ishiyama students named Kazuya and Azusa, and even the other delinquents in the special class have all come to watch. Takachin looks around nervously.

"Why do we have such a big audience?" he asks.

"I don't know," I say. "We're only fighting each other to show off our new skills."

"Let's do this," he tells me. I nod, smirking slightly.

We both get into fighting stances, and we give each other a small nod before we start to fight. Takachin puts up a pretty good fight, and he even does a roundhouse kick which I have to duck in order to avoid it. He then grabs my arm and flips me over his back before sending some strikes in my way. He also does a pretty good cartwheel to avoid an attack from me, and I can hear everyone either gasp or let out an exclamation of awe.

"Whoa, did you see that?"

"Furuichi just did a cartwheel!"

"Then again, he lifted her over his back as well!"

We continue to fight, showing our new skills to everyone. We pause our fighting to catch our breath as I wipe the sheen of sweat from my forehead. Takachin wipes away the corner of his mouth, panting heavily as he gets into another fighting stance. "Hold it right there!" A rough voice suddenly catches everyone's attention and we turn our heads to the source of the voice.

To our surprise, we see a rough-looking delinquent with spiky black hair, several ear piercings, some tattoos, and a large number of lackeys behind him. "Oga Tatsumi, the Baby-on-Back Brawler!" he growls. "You're gonna pay for what you did to me the other day!"

"Who is that guy?!" Takachin asks.

Oga shrugs. "Dunno, I've never seen him before," he replies.

"You idiot!" Miki snaps. "Those are the same guys whom you planted into the sidewalk the other day! How can you not remember?!"

The ringleader sneers at Oga. "Now come on and fight me, or are you too-" he's cut off when Oga delivers a powerful punch, sending him flying several feet away.

"Idiots…" Oga growls viciously, glaring demonically at them. "You interrupted a fight when it was getting good! You'll pay for that!"

Before we even realize, a fight breaks out between the delinquents and Oga, while the others help him out. A bead of sweat rolls down my head. "Sheesh, does it always get violent like this?" I ask.

Takachin nods. "Yeah." Suddenly, we're surrounded by more of those goons. "Damn, we're surrounded."

One of them grins. "Heh. These guys look weak," he taunts. "Beating them up won't be a problem. Let's do this!"

They lunge at us, ready to beat us up. _Oh, you made a big mistake, buddy. _I think. Right then, I do a roundhouse kick to the jaw of one of the goons, sending him flying backwards. The other goons look shocked for a moment before one of them grins lecherously. "Blue lace, huh?" he asks me. It takes me a second to realize that he just saw my panties.

At that moment, all the colour drains from my face before I glare at him in rage. "Shut up, you PERVERT!" I snarl, delivering a powerful uppercut on the guy, sending him flying far away.

Takachin stares at me, agape. "S-Scary…" he shudders.

Deciding to put an end to the fight, I form a defensive stance and chant the sudarshana mantra in my head nine times. "Sudarshana Chakra…" I start. "...Talaiyitu Tantiroopayam!" I roar, aiming my two fingers to his core, paralyzing him.

The goons stare at me in shock. "What the hell did you just do, you little bitch?!" they snarl at me. I glare at them.

"I just paralyzed him," I say. "Be grateful he's paralyzed and not dead."

Right then, I can sense some demonic energy coming from Takachin. "Chuushou Naiseikanshou…" he says, the demonic energy surrounding him. He opens his eyes, glaring at the goons. "...Odonel Shibire Heigaku!" he shouts, jabbing another goon in the core with his two fingers, paralyzing him completely before getting on his hands and flipping his legs up to the guy's jaw.

This seems to be enough to scare the goons, because they immediately run off in fear. I sigh in exhaustion while Takachin wipes some sweat away from his forehead.

"Whoa…" We turn and see everyone staring in shock.

"Now that was an awesome fight!" Oga cheers. "Nice work, Furuichi!"

"That was some impressive fighting," Hilda-san comments.

"They really have become stronger, especially Furuichi, it seems," Nene remarks.

"What kind of a move was that?!"

I smile. "My new trademark move," I say. "I call it the Sudarshana Talaiyitu Tantiroopayam, or the Sudarshana Intervention Tactic. If I hit the correct pressure points in someone, I can paralyze them."

"What about you, Furuichi?" Oga asks.

"I call it the Chuushou Naiseikanshou: Shibire Heigaku, or the Pillar General Intervention: Numbness Strategy," he says to Oga, Hilda-san, Lamia, Kunieda, Izuma-senpai, and Miki. "This way, I can summon the strength of the Pillar Generals and the leader without using the tissues."

Hilda-san looks pretty shocked at that. "How did you learn such a technique?!" she asks.

"Ayaka's grandfather taught me," he explains. "I have to block out all other thoughts and distractions, and focus only on the Pillar General I want to summon. The more Pillar Generals I summon, the more energy I use up. If I ever summon the whole of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division, not only will I kill my opponent, I'll be drained of my energy."

Lamia looks stunned. "How could her grandfather teach that method?" she asks.

"I recently found out that he used to be contracted to a demon in his youth," I say. "The contract has been terminated now, but he still knows a method that he often used to summon the strength of the demon he was contracted to."

"Which Pillar Generals have you summoned?" Izuma-senpai asks.

Takachin thinks for a moment. "I summoned Graphel, Hecadoth, Agiel, Odonel, and Jabberwock," he replies. "I only did so because there were Asuras attacking."

I nod. "Yeah, he manages to do it so flawlessly," I say. I look at my watch. "We should go home now. Come on, Takachin, let's go."

On the walk back home, we pass by the river when I notice something strange in the water. I stop and start walking towards the river. "Oi, Ayaka! What's wrong?"

I stop by the water's edge to get a closer look. To my surprise, I see a tree branch with several glowing purple leaves. "What the…?" I trail off. That does not look like a normal tree branch.

Right then, I hear a sharp, piercing noise in my ears, and I close my eyes to try and dispel the noise. Suddenly, blurry images start flashing, causing me to fall to my knees. A large banyan tree with purple leaves that glow, a large cocoon, moth wings… what could all these images mean? The last thing I hear is Takachin calling my name before I black out.

"Ayaka? Ayaka? Ayaka, wake up!" At the sound of Takachin's voice, I slowly open my eyes. A pack of ice rests on my head and a blanket covers my body.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Takachin sighs in relief, giving me a kiss on my lips. I start to register my surroundings and I realize that we're in Takachin's house, and I'm lying down on his bed. He pulls away and hands me a glass of water.

"What… What happened?" I ask after taking a sip of water.

"You went down to the river, and you suddenly collapsed!" he recalls. "You were looking at some strange branch when you suddenly fell down and passed out!"

_Right… _I remember. "Takachin, what was that tree branch?" I ask.

"I don't know," he says. "Whatever it was, it had some weird effect on you. What exactly happened?"

I look down. "I saw that strange tree branch in the river, and I went up to it to see what it was. However, when I went near it, I heard this sharp noise in my ears and then some strange images flashed before my eyes," I explain.

"What images?" he asks.

"A large banyan tree with glowing purple leaves, a large cocoon, a pair of moth wings," I say. "What could that mean?"

Takachin looks confused. "That's pretty odd," he comments. "Maybe it's trying to tell you something."

Right then, the door opens and Lamia comes in. "I found this letter on the tree branch," Lamia says, holding out the letter. I take it from her and read it. My eyes widen in shock at what's written.

_So you've gotten my little gift, hm? Meet us in two days at the ruins of Ishiyama High School, Ayaka! I look forward to finally meeting you!_

_From, Ravana_

"This is…" I whisper, horrified.

"Who is it?" Takachin asks. I turn to him.

"Ravana, the Lord of the Asuras."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hope you enjoy chapter 17!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 17- The Great Thirteen and the Ten-Headed Asura**

"By the way, Ayaka, I forgot to ask," Takachin comments. "Who is Ravana?"

Two days have come, and we are now walking towards the ruins of Ishiyama High School. We've gotten the others to come with us as well after showing the letter to Hilda-san and Oga. I turn to Takachin.

"Ravana is the leader of the Asura Tribe," I explain. "He's intelligent, extremely vicious, and extremely powerful, the most powerful one out of all of them, hence why he's the Lord. He also has ten heads, so he's known as the Ten-Headed Asura. Kumbhakarna and Ahiravan are his brothers, Surpanakha is his sister, and Atikaya is one of his sons."

"Wait, his son and siblings are members of the Great Thirteen?!" Oga asks.

Hilda-san nods. "Don't underestimate them," she says. "They're the most powerful out of all of the Great Thirteen."

During the walk to the ruins, I feel an uneasy sensation in my stomach. This has been happening ever since I saw that unusual banyan tree branch and those images. It's almost like that branch is an omen that's foreshadowing something even more sinister than what we already know. Takachin can sense my uneasiness and pulls me close to him. "Don't be worried, Ayaka," he reassures me. "Everything will turn out well."

I shake my head. "It's not that I'm worried about failing," I say. "I'm more worried about what those images have to do with this." I look up at him, feeling real fear. "In all honesty, I'm really scared, Takachin. I'm afraid that those images are foreshadowing something of unspeakable horror, something even more terrifying than what we already know of."

Right then, he gives me a soft kiss on the lips. "We'll cross that bridge once we get there," he tells me. "For now, Ayaka, just calm down."

"Out of all the years I've been friends with Furuichi, I've never seen him being so caring and protective over a girl," Oga comments to himself. "I don't think I've ever seen him so… in love before."

We arrive at the ruins of Ishiyama High School, which has become an almost barren wasteland, save for the foundations of the remains of the school building. It's late afternoon, and storm clouds cover the skies, creating a very sinister atmosphere in the area.

"Of course they'd choose this place to fight us," Himekawa remarks.

"Everyone, stay on your guard," Hilda-san commands.

After a while, we sense it. A purple mist suddenly forms and several figures begin to materialize. When the mist dissipates, not only are the Great Thirteen visible, but so is a large army of Asuras. Sunda steps up, sneering. "Well, well, we meet again," he comments, sneering at us. "I hope you two will put up a better fight this time."

Surpanakha glares at Takachin and me. "You two will pay dearly for what you did last time," she snarls.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." We turn and to our surprise, we see Behemoth and his Pillar Division all standing at the entrance!

"Behemoth?" Hilda-san asks, surprised. The demon smirks.

"You thought that we'd let you go into battle against the Asuras alone?" he asks.

Jabberwock turns to the soldiers. "Men, you all know what to do," he says. "I will not accept any defeats! Obliterate them if you have to!"

All the soldiers roar as they prepare themselves. Hilda-san draws her sword from her parasol, holding it at the ready. Oga holds his fist up, the Zebul Spell glowing already. Kunieda draws her wooden sword out, glowing with the energy of the minor demon she's contracted with. I pull out my dual knives while Takachin holds out his bamboo pole.

"You ready?" Hilda-san asks with the authority of a commander.

"Yeah!" we all yell out.

"Then let's do this!" she commands as she charges towards them. We all follow her and start fighting back against the Asuras, who charge at us.

Takachin and I manage to fight off a few Asuras before we are surrounded by Surpanakha and Kumbhakarna, the giant-like Asura.

"So, you two are the ones who paralyzed my sister," Kumbhakarna growls.

"And what of it?" Takachin retorts. "She was going to kill my partner!"

He simply sneers. "You humans really do a lot of stupid things when you're in love, especially when it comes to protecting your lover's life," he taunts. "Now you'll suffer the consequences of tackling with an Asura!"

They charge at us, Kumbhakarna holding up his gada and Surpanakha holding up her claws. I hold up my two fingers and strike Surpanakha in the crook of her neck, paralyzing the area. She glares at me. "You little…" she snarls.

"Sudarshana Chakra…" I say, feeling the energy coursing through me. "Talaiyitu Tantiroopayam!" I shout, striking her core, paralyzing her completely.

Kumbhakarna stares in shock before his eyes narrow into a look of pure rage. "You dare…" he growls. "Insolent little girl! You'll pay dearly!" He lunges at me but I deflect his attack with a roundhouse kick before doing a backflip over him. Takachin then paralyzes him with the powers of Graphel.

"Look out!" Oga's shout makes us notice too late to see Atikaya aiming an arrow at us. Suddenly, before we realize, a quick blur comes in front of us and strikes him, sending him flying backwards. When the dust clears, we see a demon maidservant with long blonde hair and green eyes, holding out a mop.

"I thought you might need some help, Hilda," she says, smirking slightly. Hilda-san stares in shock.

"Yolda!" she exclaims.

"Let me help you out with these guys," the demon maidservant, now known as Yolda, says.

We continue to fight the Asuras, who show no sign of giving up. "What's with these guys?!" Miki asks. "They just don't seem to be giving up!"

In the middle of a fight, I suddenly notice something strange. Coming from the back of the school, I see an eerie glow. "Takachin!" I call, pointing towards the glow. "Look over there! Do you see that?"

He follows my finger and notices it. "What is that?" he asks.

"I don't know, but we should check it out," I say. He nods and we start to run when suddenly, Sunda appears in front of us, grinning maliciously.

"You two aren't going anywhere," he taunts.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Jabberwock suddenly lunges at him from behind us. The Pillar Leader turns to face us. "You two, go ahead. I'll deal with him."

We nod. "Thank you, Jabberwock," Takachin thanks sincerely before we run towards the glow.

Sunda glares at him. "The Pillar Leader himself… Jabberwock," he says. "This will be interesting."

We continue to run in the direction of the glow. "Ayaka! Can you sense it? The demonic energy coming from that direction is really powerful!"

I nod. "I know!" Suddenly, the same images start running through my head, and the same sharp noise starts piercing through my ears. Soon, we reach the area and stare up in shock. The source of the glow is an extremely large banyan tree with glowing purple leaves, the same one in my visions!

"What… What the hell is that?" Takachin asks, looking shocked.

"That's… That's the same tree from my visions…" I whisper.

Suddenly, we hear a sinister laugh before a figure jumps down from one of the tree branches. We gasp in both shock and horror. Standing before us is an Asura, wearing only a pair of black pants and battle armour. However, what shocks us even more is that the Asura has ten heads, each one with a sinister grin on its face.

"We finally meet… Ayaka," he sneers, and my eyes widen in shock.

Lord Ravana has come.


	18. Chapter 18

**Man, I'm on a roll! I hope you enjoy Chapter 18 as well!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

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**Chapter 18- A Horrific Revelation**

Ravana steps forward, holding a mace in one hand and a sickle in the other hand, sneering at us. "So, you're Mizushima Ayaka, the one who has been fighting and defeating my Asuras repeatedly, long before you moved here." He chuckles scornfully. "You have some nerve, I'll give you that."

"What are you doing here?" I ask, trying to sound calm, although my heart is pounding pretty hard right now.

He sneers. "What does it look like? I'm here to destroy you, once and for all!" he growls. Suddenly, to my surprise, Takachin jumps in front of me.

"Sorry man, but if you want to fight Ayaka, you'll have to get through me first," he says, giving him a serious look.

Ravana sneers disdainfully at him. "You? Protect _her_? Ha!" He lets out a short bark of laughter. "Don't make me laugh. You look like you can barely protect yourself!" A small smirk of realization crosses his face. "You must be her lover, right? If so, then that explains why you're trying to protect her so much."

Takachin glares coldly at him. "Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to judge a book by its cover?" he asks, an icy tone in his voice. "Yes, I'm her lover. Yes, I may look weak. But I'm stronger than I look. But enough of that! Come and fight me!"

"Now we're talking!" Ravana snarls, lunging at him.

I watch in shock as Takachin and Ravana fight to the death, neither of them showing any signs of giving up. Takachin seems to be fighting with more malice and ferocity than ever. However, I notice one thing about Ravana that seems rather… off. Usually, when fighting against an enemy, we can see the looks of malice, hatred, and determination in their eyes. However, for some strange reason, Ravana's eyes are completely void of any emotions and they seem almost… glassy. Right then, I remember something from all my previous fights with the Asuras. All of them only showed malice and scorn when speaking, but during the fights, their eyes were empty and emotionless.

"Don't tell me…" I whisper. Are they being controlled and manipulated by some greater force? Are the Asuras merely puppets as a part of a bigger plan?

"Ayaka!" I turn and see Hilda-san, Oga, Berubo, Lamia, Behemoth, Hecadoth, and Agiel running over.

"Whoa…" Lamia stops and stares in shock at the banyan tree.

"What's happening?" Oga asks as Takachin and Ravana continue to fight.

"Something doesn't seem right," I say. "I just noticed something right now. In every fight against the Asuras, all of their eyes are empty and void of emotions. Only when they talk do they express emotions."

"That's what we all noticed as well," Hilda-san agrees. "Not just the Great Thirteen, but all of the Asuras are fighting with emotionless eyes. What's even more intriguing is the fact that the Asuras are actually hermit-like and isolated."

"They only become this vicious when their territory is in danger," Agiel points out. "It's quite clear that they're being possessed."

"We just found that out," Hecadoth says. "After Jabberwock had defeated Sunda, the Asura actually showed confusion and shock when he realized that he was in the Human World. Not just him, but some of the other Asuras."

My eyes widen. _I knew it! They were brainwashed and possessed! _Suddenly, the sound of Takachin shouting in pain interrupts our thoughts and we turn just in time to see him being thrown back onto the ground. Right then, I start sprinting towards Ravana.

"Sudarshana Chakra… Talaiyitu Tantiroopayam!" I shout, striking the Asura Leader in the core, paralyzing him.

Takachin slowly gets up, his uniform ripped and dirty, scratches and dirt streaks on his face. He spits out some blood onto the ground and wipes his mouth on his sleeve. I run up to him. "Takachin! Are you okay?" I ask, concerned.

He nods. "I'm fine, it's nothing too bad," he says.

"Listen, Takachin. The Asuras are actually being possessed. They never initiated this plan, they're merely puppets!" I tell him. "Someone or something is controlling them!"

His eyes widen in shock. "But… But how?" he asks. Behemoth walks up to Ravana and presses his finger against his forehead. Suddenly, to our shock, a purple stream of energy shoots out of his mouth. When it all leaves his mouth, he opens his eyes, looking around in confusion.

"What the… Where am I?" Ravana asks, bewildered. He looks at Takachin. "Who are you?"

"It's a long story, but you were being possessed and controlled into doing this," Behemoth says.

Ravana's eyes widen in shock. "That's right!" he gasps. "Now… Now I remember! The one who possessed us was-"

"Ayaka, behind you!" Lamia suddenly cries out.

I turn around too late, and before I realize, a large vine curls around my waist, grabbing me and lifting me up off the ground. I scream in shock and alarm.

"Ayaka!" Takachin cries out.

"What the hell's going on?!" I shout, looking around me.

Suddenly, a woman's voice starts chuckling sinisterly, and I look around frantically. Everyone else looks shocked and tenses up. "I finally got you," the voice suddenly rings out. Right then, to my shock, a woman suddenly materializes in front of me. Her skin is sickly pale and her long, teal coloured hair flows down to her ankles. Her eyes are glowing yellow, and she wears a long strapless teal gown. The woman is beautiful, but in a sinister, frightening way. She gives an ominous, sinister smile.

"Mizushima Ayaka, the key to finally completing my plan," she declares.

I gasp in shock. This is… This is the same woman who has been appearing in my visions!

"No, it can't be!" I hear Lamia cry out in shock.

"Yes, that's her. That's the one who has possessed us," Ravana growls. "Taraka, the spirit of the very first leader of the Asuras."


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter will be from Furuichi's point of view. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

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**Chapter 19- The Kiss of Death**

_**(Furuichi)**_

I watch in shock and horror as Taraka turns to face all of us, her eyes glowing evilly. "Who is Taraka?" I ask.

"She was the very first leader of the Asuras," Ravana explains. "She ruled many centuries ago, when humanity was in the medieval era. She was very power-hungry, and she wanted to take the Human World for herself, so she wreaked havoc everywhere in the Human World, slaughtering humans as if they were no more than animals. Her reign of terror ended when her sons, other demons, and the Asuras had had enough of her tyranny and started a coup in order to end her reign. She was then exiled and was eventually killed at the hands of one of Beelzebub IV's ancestors."

"However, I will no longer be a spirit after this," Taraka says, her voice taking on a tone of arrogance. "My plan has worked perfectly. Since the Asuras were too weak to invade humans on their own," her tone hints slightly at disgust. "I decided to control them myself. During one of their festivals, I brainwashed them, toyed with their minds, until finally, my plan was set into action."

Ayaka glares at her. "Why are you doing this?! Let me go, please!" she pleads, and I can feel my heart aching when I hear the genuine fear in her voice.

Taraka smirks. "Don't you see? Every attack sent out on you, every disturbance at that temple in Madurai… it was all a part of the plan," she continues. "Everytime you defeated an Asura, this banyan tree grew from a sapling into a fully-grown tree by consuming a bit of that Asura's power. Now that you defeated Ravana, the tree is now ready for its sacrifice."

Ayaka's eyes widen in shock and fear. "What… What do you mean? Why me?!" she asks.

Taraka's smirk only grows wider. "Foolish girl, don't you see? You're a descendant of some of the most powerful Hindu priests in history, and you have a great deal of energy within you. If one were to consume that energy, then they would be given power unlike anything that anyone has ever seen." She sneers at her. "First, I will seal you away into this tree, and let it drain you of your life and spiritual energy." My eyes widen in shock upon hearing that, and Ayaka gasps in fear. "Then, your energy will be used to replenish me and give me an actual body, so I can regain control over the Asuras and finally destroy humanity!"

Behemoth, Hecadoth, and Agiel stare in shock and horror and we look at each other in disbelief.

"That's crazy!" Oga exclaims.

"Why would you do that?!" Hilda-san demands.

"We have to do something!" I say desperately.

However, before anyone can react, the trunk of the banyan tree suddenly starts to open up as the leaves glow an even brighter purple. To my shock, a cocoon suddenly appears from the trunk, its folds wide open. I remember Ayaka telling me about the cocoon in her visions! That's when it hits me. Those visions were foretelling her fate!

Taraka then gives Ayaka a lecherous, sadistic grin. "Mizushima Ayaka, granddaughter of the priest, oh how you tempt me," she leers. Ayaka's eyes widen in fear.

"Stop! Please, please don't-!" Ayaka pleads desperately but she's suddenly cut off when that disgusting bitch presses her mouth on hers. It's a short kiss, but it's enough to make my stomach churn and my blood boil when she pulls away.

We watch in horror as Ayaka starts changing. Her skin slowly loses its healthy colour, making her deathly pale, and her eyes, once sparkling and full of life, become glassy and emotionless as her eyelids slide shut. Large moth wings suddenly break out from her back as she spreads open her arms and crosses them over her chest. The wings wrap around her and the cocoon then takes her in, its folds closing shut as it slides back into the tree trunk.

I glare furiously at Taraka. I've never hated anyone even more than this spirit right here. Not the other delinquents, not the guys from middle school, not even Kiriya! She dares take away Ayaka like that?! An innocent human girl who hasn't even lived her life yet?! She's innocent, and she doesn't deserve to die like that! Ayaka deserves to live her life to its fullest, not have it so selfishly taken away from her by a cruel, sadistic bitch!

"You bitch! What the hell have you done to her?!" I snarl. Taraka glances at me disdainfully.

"I have given her the Kiss of Death," she replies. "As we speak, her life force and her spiritual energy is slowly being drained from her. It'll soon become a nectar for me to consume." She turns away. "Give up now, boy. It's useless. You can't save her."

Right then, it's like something snaps inside of me. I don't care if I die. As long as Ayaka is safe, I'll be at peace. I can almost feel my blood boiling as rage takes over me. It seems like everyone else can sense my rage, as they all stare at me in shock and surprise.

"F-Furuichi…?" Oga asks.

"Furuichi, don't-" Agiel starts to say, but I ignore her.

Before I realize, I lunge at Taraka, raising my pole to her. "Let her go, right now!" I roar. "You pathetic Asura! You dare take away a girl who hasn't even lived her life yet?! You deserve to die!"

Suddenly, I'm stopped when a vine grabs my ankle, forcing me onto the ground. Taraka suddenly hovers towards me, glaring furiously at me. "Foolish boy," she snarls spitefully. "One cannot simply destroy a spirit like me. This is her fate, so let it be."

The vine releases me and I get up, feeling a lot of emotions. Anger, fear, sadness, shock, rage… it's all a blur. "I can't believe it…" I growl. Dusting myself off, I start running up to the banyan tree, jumping over the thick roots and cutting through the vines with my pole. "Ayaka! I'm coming for you! Hold on!" I call.

I see a pulsating glow from the tree trunk, and I can almost sense Ayaka in that spot. My clothes are already in tatters but I don't care at this point. All that's on my mind is to save Ayaka. I refuse to allow the fate of death to be forced onto her, an innocent girl who has a life to live!

Suddenly, a branch comes swinging at me and knocks me away from the tree. I fly backwards and hit the ground, letting out a grunt of pain. "Dammit…" I curse, spitting out some blood from my mouth.

"Oi, you idiot. Climb on," Hilda-san's voice brings me to reality. I turn and see Hilda-san, Oga, Berubo, and Lamia sitting on Akubaba. She smirks at me. "Let's go get your girlfriend back."

I smile sincerely. "Thanks," I say, grabbing Oga's hand and climbing on. Before Akubaba takes off, Hecadoth steps up to me.

"Take this," he tells me, handing me a sharp spear. "The bark is very tough." I smile at him and he smirks back. "Now go get her."

It's during the flight up to one of the branches that I realize something. I don't have a clear plan. Hell, I don't have a plan at all. I'm just acting on my emotions and doing whatever my instincts tell me to. Akubaba hovers near a large tree branch and I jump off, landing successfully onto the branch. I start running to the bark, cutting through the vines that try to stop me. "Ayaka!" I shout. "I'm coming for you!"

I slice through the bark with the spear, my speed increasing when I see the cocoon. "Hold on!" I call, running down every branch up to the cocoon, slicing through every vine that tries to stop me. I'll give anything to see her again, to see her smile, to hear her laugh. "Ayaka! Can you hear me?!"

I'm finally near the cocoon. If I can slice through it, I can wake her up, and she'll live again. That bitch will be destroyed! However, I'm suddenly grabbed by several vines that start to pull me back. "No, dammit!" I curse. "Ayaka! Ayaka, wake up!"

I grit my teeth before yelling her name out as loud as I can, praying that she'll wake up.

"AYAKAAAAAAA!" I scream. _Please God, please let her wake up. Please... _


	20. Chapter 20

**This chapter is back to Ayaka's POV. And we're getting close to the end here people! Just one more chapter to go! Hope you all enjoy this one!**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.**

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**Chapter 20- We Did It**

_**(Back to Ayaka's POV)**_

_What's happening? Where am I? Why's it all dark? Why do I feel so tired? _These are all the thoughts that's running through my head. I remember that spirit Taraka giving me a kiss on my lips, and then I had become so tired and exhausted, like someone's draining my life away from me. The last sensation I remember feeling is the wings bursting from my back and wrapping around me before being consumed by the cocoon. Then, everything went black.

I hear distant shouts, desperate cries, but then, I hear it.

"AYAKAAAAAAA!" It's Takachin! He's come!

_Takachin… _"Takachin…" I whisper as a tear rolls down my face. Suddenly, I feel my heart beating faster, and the blood pumping through my veins. I start feeling warm, alive, and the energy slowly starts coming back into my body.

Suddenly, the cocoon dissolves away and the tree suddenly bursts open. I remain afloat in the air for a moment, a white glow surrounding me, before I'm slowly lowered back down onto a large branch. Right then, I feel the wings on my back disintegrating as I suddenly collapse.

My eyes open a few moments later and I'm immediately greeted with the sight of Takachin's smiling face. Small dirt marks streak his face and a trickle of blood runs down the side of his head. He smiles in relief, gently stroking my face. "Ayaka… welcome back…" he whispers.

I smile up at him. "Takachin…" I whisper softly. "I… I thought I was dying. But then… I heard you calling my… my name, and… suddenly… I regained consciousness…" Another tear rolls down my face. "You saved me, Takachin."

"It's okay, Ayaka," he reassures me as he kisses my tear away. "Taraka will never harm you again. I swear, she will never touch you again." He gives me a gentle kiss before picking me up and carrying me over to where Hilda-san and the others are. Oga gently takes me from him, and Takachin starts to climb onto the large bird, when suddenly, we feel the ground shaking.

"Insolent boy!" We turn and see Taraka, surrounded by branches and vines, glaring furiously at Takachin. "You dared to interfere with my plans! Now you will die!" she roars, lunging at him.

"You guys go ahead!" Takachin yells at us before using his spear to cut the oncoming vines and branches. Hilda-san wastes no time in making the bird fly away, but she makes it fly at a safe distance so we can watch the heated fight between Takachin and Taraka.

"He's become so much more vicious in his fighting," Oga muses. "He's not even scared."

"I hope he's okay," I say anxiously. "He risked his own life to save mine, now he's risking it again for all ours."

Hilda-san watches on. "He's becoming a real fighter," she comments. "He's changed quite a bit as well. More mature, more brave, more manly."

Suddenly, we sense a large amount of demonic power. We turn and see Takachin, aiming his two fingers at Taraka, with every member of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division surrounding him. We all stare in shock at the display of such a large amount of power. "We have to get out of here now," Lamia warns, and Hilda-san obeys.

"Behemotto 34 Chuushidan Naiseikanshou…" Takachin says. The demonic aura surrounds him as a glowing white ball of energy forms at his fingertips. Right then, he opens his eyes. "...CHUUSHIDAN SEIKYO HEIGAKU!" he roars, shooting the ball at Taraka. The ball of energy strikes her, and suddenly, a huge white explosion rocks the earth, destroying both the tree and Taraka completely.

With an ear-splitting screech, Taraka dissolves into nothing. Then, as quick as the explosion happened, the white light suddenly closes in on itself and a bright beam of white light shoots up into the sky. We stare in amazement and awe at the display. Soon, the beam of light fades, and small purple sparkles fall down from the sky, no doubt the remains of the banyan tree.

The large bird lands on the ground and we quickly jump off, looking around for Takachin. "Takachin?" I call.

"Oi, Furuichi! Where are you?!" Oga calls.

Right then, I see him, lying at the remains of the base of the tree, unconscious. "Takachin!" I gasp, running up to him. I gently place my hand on his shoulder. "Takachin, wake up," I say. "The fight's over."

No response.

"Takachin, please," I plead, feeling my heart breaking. "Please wake up." Again, no response. I get a bit more agitated and worried and shake him gently. "Takachin! Wake up, dammit!"

At that, my voice cracks and the tears fall from my eyes. "Please, Takachin," I start to sob. "For my sake… please, please wake up…" My voice trails off into sobs. _He's not dead… He's not dead… _I think repeatedly as I sob into his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him.

I see Oga, Hilda-san, Berubo, and Lamia lowering their heads sadly, fearing the worst. Ravana also casts his head down, looking solemn. Behemoth and the other Pillar members lower their heads and place an arm over their chest out of respect. "Today, this boy has earned my respect," Jabberwock says solemnly.

"Furuichi's not a boy anymore," Oga says softly. "He's a man."

"Da bu…" Berubo agrees, nodding his head sadly.

"A man who summoned all of us at once, knowing that he would possibly die," Behemoth states.

"Yet he did so to save the life of not only his lover, but the lives of his friends as well," Hecadoth adds. "For doing such a noble thing, he has earned the respect and trust of all of us."

Suddenly, to our shock, we hear the sounds of coughing and soft groans of pain. I look up and see Takachin, wincing slightly. "Never again, am I letting some crazy bitch force the fate of death on you." He gives me a small grin.

At that point, I let out a small laugh through my tears. "You idiot!" I scold, laughing and crying at the same time. "We thought you were dead!" I hit him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't ever scare me like that _**ever **_again!"

I wrap my arms around him in a tight hug, which he returns as we stand up. "Oi, idiot Furuichi," Oga says, punching him in the shoulder, smirking. "If that ever happens again, I'll go to your grave, resurrect you, and beat you up for worrying us."

Takachin chuckles at that. Right then, Hecadoth pats him on the shoulder. "Good job, lieutenant," he praises. "Today, you have earned the respect and trust of all of us."

Ravana bows down in front of Takachin. "I thank you, Furuichi, for destroying the spirit of that cursed Taraka," he thanks. "You have also earned the respect of all the Asuras."

He smiles sincerely before wincing again. "Ow!" he grunts. "I think I seriously injured something."

We walk back to the main grounds of the ruins of Ishiyama, and see everyone else, waiting for us. "Hey guys!" Yuka calls. "How did it go over there?"

"These guys are real pansies," Kanzaki scoffs. "They attack us, then they can't remember anything that happened!"

To try and cover this up, Takachin explains about how they were being brainwashed by someone else who had a grudge against Ishiyama, and used them for his plans. Fortunately, everyone else is convinced.

"Damn! Furuichi, you're a wreck!" Tojo exclaims. "What the hell happened?"

"It's a long story," I reply. "Long story short, Takachin found the guy behind the brainwashing and beat him up. He did it."

"No, we all did it," Takachin says. "I just helped out."

"Idiot!" Oga scolds. "You did a lot, okay? No more putting yourself down!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat calls our attention. We turn and see Ravana, the Great Thirteen, and all the other Asuras standing in front of a portal. Sunda bows again. "We thank you, once again, for helping us break out of our possession. If we ever get over our hatred for humans, we look forward to meeting you all again," he says before they cross through the portal, back to Makai.

"Now let's go back home!" Lamia says. "I need to look at both your injuries."

We go back to my house, where Lamia tends to our injuries. "You two both have exhausted yourselves a lot today," she tells us. "Ayaka was nearly drained of her life energy, and Furuichi nearly died from summoning all of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division. So, both of you go get some sleep, and I'll make sure to bring back a slice of cake for both of you."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" I ask.

Lamia smirks slightly. "Hilda nee-sama's throwing a celebratory party tonight, and everyone's going," she says.

"What?!" I ask, surprised. "Why can't we go?"

"You two are injured, so you two need to rest up!" she sighs, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I already said that I'd bring back some cake for you, so see ya!" she calls, waving as she leaves the house.

"That little…" Takachin grumbles. "Oh well, let's go get some rest."

We walk up to the couch and lie down on it and Takachin pulls me closer so that my head is resting against his chest. As we lie down on the couch, I notice the difference in the amount of bandages we have. Takachin has bandages covering the bridge of his nose, his lower arms, and around his lower torso, as well as both his legs. I have bandages covering my lower arms, my hips, and a small Band-Aid on my cheek. "What about your family?" I ask.

"They've gone to visit my aunt in Nagoya," he tells me. "They won't be back until Sunday night, though."

I close my eyes as he wraps his arms around me. "You're warm, you know that?"

He blushes as I snuggle closer to him. "How're you feeling?" I ask.

Takachin nods. "A bit better," he replies. He lets out a small chuckle. "In a way, I'm kind of glad I'm not going to the party. It's nice to have some peace and quiet for once. Besides, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have lasted long at that party."

I nod. "Yeah, you really took a number on you," I say. "Is it me, or does the entire group seem a lot more friendlier to one another?" I ask.

"Now that I think about it, yeah, they've definitely become a lot closer," he replies. "I think it's a good thing, though. They all know how to get along now."

"Mm," I say. I take Takachin's hand and start tracing the lines on it. "What was it like when you summoned all of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division?"

"I felt a large amount of power being infused into me," he tells me. "It was a really large amount of power and I could've died, since my body can't handle such amounts of power. However, I was able to handle the power for some reason. It was probably all that training that I had done." He pulls me closer to him. "After Taraka was destroyed, I only heard her screech before I passed out." I feel his hand gently caress my face before slowly bringing my chin up so I can look into his eyes. "However, if I had to do all that to see you smile, to hold you in my arms, to hear your laugh, I'd gladly do it all again."

I smile softly at the sincerity in his words. "Thank you, Takachin," I whisper. However, I can tell he's still pretty angry at what happened, especially how the fate of death was nearly forced onto me today.

I feel him rest his chin on my head and gently run his fingers repeatedly through my hair. "It felt good to have finally earned the respect of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division as well," he tells me.

"Did you hear what they said while you were unconscious?" I ask. "Oga said that you've become a man today. Everyone said that you had risked your life to not only save my life, but the lives of your friends as well. For that, you've earned everyone's respect, even the respect and gratitude of the Asuras." I smile up at him. "You've come a long way, Takachin. And for that, I'm proud of you."

He smiles at me before kissing me softly. "You know, these kind of nights, just snuggling on the couch with you and having small conversations, I like this," he tells me, giving me a playful kiss on my nose.

We just spend the rest of the evening, in each other's arms on the couch, talking about random things, and just enjoying each other's company. I hold on to Takachin slightly tighter, since I nearly lost him today, and he holds onto me in the same way. At this point, I can't ask for anything more. Because right now, everything is perfect to me.

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**By the way, the special attack that Furuichi yells out translates to this: 'Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division Intervention: Pillar Division Death Strategy'.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys. This is the last chapter of 'Asura Fighter'. I feel a bit sad myself, because I really had a lot of fun writing this story and doing all the research, because I got to learn so much more about my heritage through this story. I hope you enjoy the epilogue of 'Asura Fighter'.**

**PS: The chapter title is the name of a song by the group The Civil Wars.**

**Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me. I also don't own the song 'Cling Cling' by Perfume.**

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**Chapter 21- Dust to Dust**

The party's already in full swing when we arrive at Oga's house. It's New Year's Eve, and Takachin and I have been invited to a New Year's Eve party that's being hosted by both Oga and Hilda-san. Practically everyone is at the party: the Tohoshinki, the Red Tails, Lamia, and the Six Holy Knights. As I ring the doorbell, I see Takachin rubbing his hands together, shaking slightly. "You cold?" I ask.

He nods. "Sort of," he replies. "I wonder how this party's gonna go. I honestly hope there's no alcohol at this party, since I really don't want to see what everyone's like when they're drunk."

I giggle at the comment. Right then, the door opens.

"Hey guys!" Misaki greets us when she opens the door. "Happy new year, come on in!"

It's been about two months since we defeated the Asuras, or rather, Taraka. Since then, my relationship with Takachin has grown stronger and my friendships with everyone else has developed as well. Takachin and I have apparently become the 'second-most cutest couple' in St. Ishiyama, the first one being Oga and Hilda-san. Our families have taken a liking to one another, especially Takachin's family. His younger sister has even started calling me 'Onee-chan'.

"You look beautiful, you know?" Takachin murmurs in my ear. Tonight, I'm wearing a red wool dress with white snowflake patterns. I smile at him.

"It's just a simple wool dress," I say, toeing off my shoes.

"Yo, Furuichi!" Oga calls, grinning at him. "Happy new year, man!"

"Adabuh dah!" Berubo squeals.

Hilda-san smiles at us. "Come in," she says. "The party's already started."

We walk into the main room, and see various levels of activities happening. It seems like there's a karaoke fest happening right now. We see Izuma and Kunieda singing a duet version of the song 'Baby U', while Nene and Miki cheer them on. Chiaki and Natsume are in the kitchen, both playing some multiplayer game on their PSPs and Tojo and Shizuka are busy snuggling together on the couch. Yuka, Lamia, Kanzaki, and Himekawa are all playing Twister, and they look like they're about to collapse into one big heap. Even Yolda is at the party, playing Twister as well.

"Wow, this is pretty crowded," I say.

"I know," Takachin agrees. "I hope there's no alcohol being served." Right then, a question comes to him. "Hold on, do demons even drink alcohol?"

"Of course we do." Much to our surprise, we see Hecadoth and Agiel standing behind us.

"Ehhh?! What are you two doing here?!" Takachin asks, bewildered.

"We wanted to celebrate the new year in the human world, just to see what kind of celebrations you have," Agiel replies.

"Things look rather… interesting so far," Hecadoth comments.

Hilda-san turns to us. "To answer your question, yes, we drink alcohol," she says. "However, the alcohol we have is made from the fermented blood of the nine-headed King Hydra. It has a pleasant taste to demons, but for humans, it makes them do the most reckless things that normal alcohol can never do, and they end up forgetting with a very terrible hangover."

A bead of sweat runs down my forehead. "Yeah, that's also what human world alcohol does to you," I say.

Agiel looks around the room. "This place looks cosy," she says. "No wonder the Youngest loves it here."

"H-Hecadoth?! Agiel?!" Yolda exclaims in shock from her uncomfortable-looking position on the Twister mat. Unfortunately, her exclamation causes Kanzaki, Yuka, Lamia, and Himekawa to collapse into one jumbled pile of limbs.

"Yolda!" Lamia chides. "You just ruined our positions! And why am I the one at the very bottom, huh?!"

"Oi, Himekawa!" Kanzaki growls. "Because of you, I think I just pulled something!"

"Then get off me before I break something of yours!" Himekawa snarls.

"Don't worry, Lami-tan! I got you!" Yuka says, pulling her out from under the pile.

Takachin and I try and stifle our laughter at the sight. Right then, Kunieda and Izuma finish their duet, earning applause from Nene and Miki. "Alright everyone!" Kunieda calls. "Who's going next?"

No one answers, but she looks at Oga and Hilda-san. We see a sly smirk cross her lips. "Okay then, Oga and Hilda are going to be doing a duet together!" she announces cheerfully.

A shocked silence fills the room. Hilda-san looks mortified, and Oga looks like he's about to murder someone. "Hell no!" they snap back at the same time.

"I don't sing!" Oga retorts, looking annoyed.

"Neither do I!" Hilda snaps.

"Da buh!" Berubo squeals, his eyes sparkling.

Izuma smirks slightly. "Well, your kid clearly agrees to it," he says. "You two wouldn't want him to be sad, right?"

Right then, they immediately agree to do it. Agiel looks confused. "What's karaoke?" she asks.

"What the Great Demon Lord does half the time," Hecadoth replies, rolling his eyes.

"I have just the perfect song for the both of them," Kunieda says, smirking. "'Last Kiss' by Masaki Yuka and KG."

Both Oga and Hilda-san look stunned at her song choice, but they're still forced to comply. The music starts to play, and they start singing the chorus together. Surprisingly, they both have amazing voices, and they both sound amazing together. At first, they sound forced, but as the song continues, they start sounding more relaxed and even start moving along to the beat. Towards the end of the song, they're both having fun and smiling more.

Soon, the song ends and we all applaud them. "You don't sing, huh?" Takachin asks in a teasing voice.

Oga glares at him. "You'd better not tell anyone about this, or else!"

"Who's next?" Misaki asks. "Ayaka-chan, you should sing! Come on!"

I try to resist, but I'm eventually pushed up to the mic. I select the song 'Cling Cling' by Perfume. The music starts and I start to sing the lyrics of the song. "_Cling Cling o tete tsunai deru, kimi to atashi no run run run, cling cling shi chai kono kodomo, ai no shindou kawaranai,_" I start singing. I also try and do a bit of dance movements in time to the music. As I continue to sing the song, I can see Takachin watching me in admiration and smiling at me.

The song eventually ends and I do a little pose to finish. Right then, Oga steps in. "Okay guys, we're stopping karaoke for now, so whoever wants to play video games can come here!" he says, much to the delight of Tojo, Miki, Kanzaki, Chiaki, Natsume, and Himekawa.

"That was a good performance," Takachin praises. "You looked like you were having a lot of fun up there."

"Thanks," I say. I turn to Hecadoth and Agiel. "So, how's the human world new year's party for you?" I ask.

Agiel shrugs. "It's okay," she says. "I just wish there was something that impresses us. I'm not too interested in Twister, and I don't know how to play video games."

Right then, a small smile forms on Takachin's face. "I'll be right back!" he says before running upstairs. A few moments later, he comes back down, holding a laptop.

"You're borrowing Oga's laptop?" I ask.

"This is Misaki's," he tells me. "However, I know something that they might just like." He opens up the laptop, much to the confusion of both Hecadoth and Agiel, who watch him type something into the browser. He then clicks on the first link that comes up, and I smile, knowing just what he's doing.

"Here it is! Attack on Titan!" he says, showing the website to them. He explains how to use the laptop and which key does what and all that. He then presses the play button on the video attachment, allowing them to watch the very first episode of Attack on Titan.

Hecadoth and Agiel immediately become interested in the show, especially with all the fight scenes and the scenes when humans are eaten by Titans. Meanwhile, Takachin and I watch the others play Call of Duty on the Xbox, chuckling in amusement whenever one of them lost and started cursing the other.

"Even though you humans can be very annoying, I'll have to give credit for your intelligence in creating such an entertaining anime," Hecadoth muses.

"I have to agree," Agiel adds. "This is pretty interesting."

Eventually, after a while, it's time for the countdown to the new year. By then, Hecadoth and Agiel have watched eight episodes of Attack on Titan in total. With the exception of the two pillar generals, we all partake in counting down the seconds. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!" we all cheer and some of the couples share their New Year's Kiss. I soon start to find it too hot inside the house so I excuse myself to step outside for a bit.

I step out into the backyard, putting on my coat, scarf, and mittens. In all honesty, the chilly night breeze feels rather nice on my overheated self. I breathe in the air, sighing softly to myself. "Happy new year." I turn and see Takachin standing in the doorway, wearing his jacket, scarf, and mittens.

"Happy new year, Takachin," I say. "What're you doing here?"

"It was getting too hot and loud in there," he says.

I nod. "Yeah," I agree. "Also, the PDA in there was becoming too much and too heavy," I add.

Takachin chuckles. "Even Hecadoth said that displays of affection in the human world are just too… public," he says. I giggle at that as he walks up to me. I lean against his chest and he wraps his arms around my waist as we stare up at the starry night sky.

"It's very nice out, don't you think?" I comment.

"It is," he agrees.

"What's on your mind?" I ask.

He sighs. "I'm just thinking about how much I've changed," he tells me. I turn to look up at him as he continues talking. "Ayaka, how were you able to see through my mask? Was it my eyes, was it my words, was it my laughter? What gave me away?"

"You were just lonely," I tell him. "You've been lonely for so long, Takachin. Even though you smiled and laughed, I could tell you were acting, and that your lines were just practiced over and over. I wanted you to let me in the walls that you had built around yourself. I wanted to help burn down those walls, and hold your hand as we danced around the flames. I wanted to show you that someone does care about you."

He looks down at me and I smile at him. "You've done so much, Takachin," I continue. "You've really done a lot to prove yourself and change your image in their eyes. Even when things got hard, you held your head up and continued fighting. You fought for the ones you love and care about, and you bear the scars from those battles. Two months ago, you were lonely, vulnerable, and broken. Now, you're strong, happy, and you've matured quite a bit. Not to mention, everyone respects you and trusts you, and you're pretty popular in your own way. And I'm real proud of you."

Takachin smiles at me. "I'm forever in your debt, Ayaka," he says. "Before you came, I was just an outcast, and I had a strained friendship with Oga, because he had become more popular and had become friends with all the top delinquents, whereas my reputation was tarnished and my image was scorned because of simple misunderstandings and bad timings. When you had invited me to come and train with you, I had gone because initially I wanted to impress everyone, become as popular as Oga was, and get a girlfriend. However, the more I got to know you, the less I cared about impressing everyone. It soon became all about overcoming my emotional turmoil and inner conflicts so I could become stronger, emotionally, physically, and mentally." He hugs me gently, turning me around so my face is buried in his chest. "You helped me get rid of the stress and emotional conflicts I was going through. You saved me, Ayaka."

I smile softly. "I guess we're both even now," I say. "I saved you from the verge of breaking down, and you saved me from the brink of death."

He brushes my hair away from my face before pressing his lips against mine in a sincere, loving kiss. As I kiss him back, I think about him for a moment. Furuichi Takayuki truly is a diamond in the rough. From all the training that he has done, all his best qualities have finally been noticed by everyone, as well as appreciated. He has become stronger, and a real man. He nearly gave his life up to save not only me, but our friends as well, and that's what makes him an amazing person.

Furuichi Takayuki is the diamond in the rough in my future. And I, Mizushima Ayaka, am the soul mate in his future. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Furuichi Takayuki: my classmate, best friend, crush, lover, current boyfriend, and my future partner.

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**Even though only Frayner and Devlin Dracul have regularly reviewed this story, thanks so much for your kind words and suggestions, they really helped motivate me to write this story. Thanks again everyone!**


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